SIDDIPET: Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will inaugurate the Gouravelli reservoir in the last week of this month, which will irrigate 1,06,000 acres in three other districts besides Siddipet. According to sources, the CM made this intention clear when Husnabad MLA V Satish Kumar met him on Monday evening.
He ordered officials to divert water from the Kaleshwaram project for irrigation purposes to Nizamsagar as well as to other projects in the Siddipet district due to the delay in the onset of monsoon. He also made it clear to the officials to start the Gouravelli Reservoir after June 25. It is learnt that he also ordered the completion of all the remaining works of the project.
As the project is almost completed, the officials told him that the work of opening the gates began. Till now the farmers of Husnabad have been raising crops depending only on rains. If water is pumped into the Gouravelli reservoir in the last week of this month, farmers will not have to wait for the rains. Although the project was initially planned to be built with a capacity of 1.410 tmcft, after the formation of Telangana State, Rao decided to increase its capacity to 8.23 tmcft to irrigate 3,870 acres.
Although compensation has been paid to the majority of the oustees, some farmers have approached the court saying that the compensation is insufficient. Through this project, 26,710 acres in the Siddipet district, 20,634 acres in the Karimnagar district, 34,832 acres in the Warangal district and 23,824 acres in the Janagoan district will get irrigation facilities. Officials said the water sources in these four districts will be filled by diverting Kaleshwaram water and from there to the fields of farmers.
It is learned that the government has decided to release 1.4 tmcft of water into the Gouravelli reservoir till the end of this month as the weather experts are saying that the rains may not come as expected and even till the second week of July. Three motors have been switched on and they are lifting water from the Gouravelli reservoir surge pool into the project. Officials said that two of these motors always would be working and one motor is kept in reserve.
Officials revealed that the right canal of the project will be 47.725 km and it will irrigate 90,000 acres. The left canal will be 16 km long and will irrigate 16,000 acres. Gudatipally village panchayat and Tenugupally, Maddelapally, Mariachu Kothapally villages and partially Gauravelly, Janagon Gudatipally, Regonda, Nandaram, and Ramavaram villages have been submerged in this reservoir.
Officials revealed that the government has so far paid Rs 300.91 crore as compensation to the displaced people who have lost their lands and houses. Meanwhile, some people from the submerged villages under the project are also complaining that they have not received compensation.