GUNTUR: Nallamada Rythu Sangham has renewed its demand to extend the Guntur Channel up to Parchuru to provide much-needed drinking and irrigation water to the region.
Despite administrative approval granted in January 2019 and a technical sanction of Rs 274.53 crore, the project has stalled due to delays in land acquisition funding.
The contract to complete the channel works was awarded to Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd., Hyderabad, after surveys were conducted by the Irrigation and Revenue Departments.
Land plan schedules were submitted to the collectors of the Guntur and Bapatla districts. Of the Rs 109.9 crore allocated for land acquisition, Rs 75.11 crore was released to the Guntur RDO’s account in 2025, but no funds were released to Bapatla RDO, halting the process in that district.
Officials noted that although Form A(1) and A(2) notifications were published in the Gazette in April 2022, the subsequent land acquisition notification issued in March 2023 was later cancelled. As a result, the process must restart, requiring funds.
The Chief Engineer of Krishna Western Delta wrote to the Special Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department in October 2025, requesting the release of Rs 7 crore for land acquisition in Parchuru, but no response has been received from the government. Local leaders argue that several preliminary procedures—such as social impact assessments and joint inspections—do not require funds, yet the Bapatla district administration has not initiated them. They point out that even major projects like Polavaram or Banakacharla cannot benefit Parchuru without proper canal connectivity.
With the state budget exceeding Rs 2.51 lakh crore, residents question why the government is reluctant to spend Rs 274 crore on a scheme that would ensure drinking and irrigation water for a region neglected for decades. They urged the government to act immediately and fulfill the long-pending demand of the people of Parchuru.