SURYAPET: Stressing that the government was committed to developing additional ayacut with less expenditure, Irrigation & Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday asked the officials as well as the implementing agencies to expedite the works and complete all the ongoing irrigation projects across the state at the earliest.
The minister said that during a comprehensive review of irrigation projects, held at Jala Saudha on May 14 in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, clear timelines were set for the completion of each ongoing and pending scheme.
“All works must be taken up on a war footing,” Uttam said and asked irrigation officials and implementing agencies to expedite all works. He also instructed the district collectors to expedite land acquisition process.
The minister said that special focus was being laid on expediting five key projects in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district -- Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu, Bhima, Koyalsagar and Palamuru-Rangareddy.
The SLBC, Dindi and Udayasamudram projects in the erstwhile Nalgonda district and the Sitarama project in Khammam district were also prioritised in the recent review. Completion of the Devadula and Gauravelli projects in North Telangana was also identified as a high priority, he added.
The minister also informed that works on the Tummadihatti project would begin shortly.
Bette Thanda, Janpahad lift irrigation projects
Meanwhile, Uttam visited the Bette Thanda and Janpahad lift irrigation projects in Palakeedu mandal of Suryapet district. During his visit to Janpahad project, which is being developed at a cost of Rs 270 crore, the minister urged officials and executing agencies to accelerate the pace of ongoing works. He directed the officials to ensure the project is completed without any further delays.
He stressed that the state government will not tolerate inefficiency when it comes to critical infrastructure that impacts rural livelihoods. The minister informed that land acquisition for Janpahad has been completed, and the project is now free of major obstacles.
Once operational, it is expected to benefit multiple villages, including Palakeedu, Janpahad, Botlapalem, Komatikunta, Gunde Boyinagudem, Alingapuram, Meghna Pahad Thanda, Cheruvu Thanda, Raghavapuram, Ellapuram, Sajjapuram, Nagireddygudem, and Hanumanthagudem, he said.
While reviewing the Bette Thanda lift irrigation scheme, where he said the works are progressing swiftly and will be completed by the end of August. The Rs 33.83 crore project, which sources water from the Musi river, will irrigate 2,041 acres and benefit 2,176 farmers, a majority of whom belong to tribal communities, he said and added that land acquisition and compensation process for this project has already been completed.