HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) will be fully operational within the next 30 months. He also announced that the government will release `5,000 crore by June 2 for land acquisition required for irrigation projects across the state.
At a review meeting on pending irrigation projects in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district, the minister said the government has launched a special drive to fast-track key projects in the region by extending financial and administrative support. He said the Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Bhima and Koilsagar projects would be completed by March 2027.
Reviewing the progress of works, Uttam said the state would ensure full utilisation of its share of river waters without losing even a drop.
He said the government has earmarked `909 crore for the Kalwakurthy, `252 crore for Nettempadu, `200 crore for Bhima and `185 crore for Koilsagar projects over the next year to accelerate the works. Land acquisition and relief and rehabilitation measures are also being fast-tracked to implement the projects in mission mode.
The minister alleged that the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government had accorded administrative approval for `35,200 crore for the PRLIS but spent only about `27,000 crore till the end of its term in 2023. He said only one pump of the project was operated for about an hour in September 2023 without irrigating even an acre effectively.
According to him, the cost of the project has now risen to about `55,000 crore excluding distributaries and related works, and could go up to `80,000 crore. He said the Congress government had already spent `7,161 crore on the project since December 7, 2023, and reiterated its commitment to complete it.
Uttam also directed officials to immediately take up desilting of the Priyadarshini Jurala project to restore its designed storage capacity. The project was originally designed with a gross storage capacity of about 11.94 tmcft, but due to siltation and operational constraints, its effective capacity has reduced to around 9 tmcft.
He reiterated that the state government would fully utilise Telangana’s rightful share of Krishna river waters without conceding even a drop.
