KHAMMAM: After the authorities concerned commenced the construction of the Sri Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme, land prices have started skyrocketing in both Khammam and Kothagudem districts. According to sources, farmlands located in both scheduled and non-scheduled areas are now fetching more buyers, thanks to the State government’s prestigious project.
Being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 13,300 crore, the Sri Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme is expected to provide irrigation water to about 6.74 lakh acres in the erstwhile district and some parts of Mahabubabad district.
According to sources, the officials have already completed the construction of the main canal and the remaining works are progressing at a brisk pace. The project will provide water to as many as 13 mandals, both scheduled and non-scheduled, in the erstwhile district. As a result, the land prices which had once taken a nosedive, have started rising slowly.
When Express spoke to a few farmers, they all expressed happiness over the trend. K Saidulu, a farmer belonging to Aswapuram mandal, said that before the commencement of the project’s construction, an acre of land in a scheduled area costed just Rs 5 lakh, while the same area of land in an non-scheduled area used to fetch anywhere between Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
However, after the ball was set rolling for the Sitarama LIS, the land prices skyrocketed to Rs 15 lakh to Rs 17 lakh per acre in scheduled areas and Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh per acre in non-scheduled areas. “Since farmers would be able to cultivate at least two crops after the completion of the project, the land prices are witnessing an upward trend now,” he added. B Narasaiah, a tribal of Mulakalapalli mandal, said: “We never expected that the land prices will witness such a steep rise in our schedule areas.”