SIDDIPET: It has only been just over 40 days since Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) Minister KT Rama Rao and Finance Minister T Harish Rao inaugurated the Ranganayaka Sagar project on the outskirts of Siddipet district, but it has already become a major tourist spot with scores of people making a beeline to the area daily.
Though the reservoir was constructed, under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), to meet the drinking water requirements of those living in Siddipet and Sircilla Assembly constituencies, people are all the more keen on visiting the project to see it brimming with Godavari water.
It has to be mentioned here that is not just those who belong to other parts of the district that visit Ranganayaka Sagar, but those belonging to other districts like Hyderabad, Karimnagar, Sangareddy and Medak are also visiting the project and sharing their wondrous experiences with friends and relatives.
The authorities, during the initial days itself, had envisioned to turn Ranganayaka Sagar into a major tourist destination, as per which they constructed a Haritha Hotel on the middle of its bund.
Meanwhile, since the project site also accommodates the office of the Irrigation Department superintendent engineer, from where the ongoing works of Mallanna Sagar and Kondapochamma Sagar are being monitored, the officials are always aware of the necessities required, as per which they envisage further plans.
According to official sources, it has also been planned to release Godavari water across the highland as well to increase the popularity of the project and attract more tourists. When Express interacted with a few local residents they said that hundreds of people have visited the area from the first week of April to till date.
The 14 km-long black top road constructed along the project ayacut and butterfly lights set up on the roads add to the area’s beauty. The local residents also mentioned that the tourists are showing a great amount of interest in visiting the highland, from where the view is astonishing, and also visit the main canal which diverts water to the downstream tanks, Mallanna Sagar and Kondapochamma project.
‘4 tmcft released to two reservoirs’
Officials said that they have released around 4 tmcft of water to the downstream Mallanna Sagar surgepool and the Kondapochamma Sagar from Ranganayaka Sagar till now