NIZAMABAD: With an eye on elections, ministers, MLAs, and the MLC from the erstwhile Nizamabad district have decided to organise a visit for farmers to the Sri Ram Sagar Project Rejuvenation Scheme (SRSP-RS), which was inaugurated a few days ago at Mupkal in the Balkonda Assembly constituency.
The elected representatives, who are planning to organise the visit, expressed happiness over the new scheme and hoped that farmers will get enough water for two crops. A few years ago, farmers suffered because Godavari waters did not reach the starting point of the SRSP and downstream.
At that time the government released Singoor (Sangareddy district) water to SRSP through the Nizamsagar project (Kamareddy district). This helped in providing irrigation facilities to SRSP downstream areas. In a way, this has helped the ruling BRS win the 2018 Assembly elections in north Telangana districts. In recent years, Godavari water is not reaching the starting point of the SRSP and downstream.
To overcome the problem, the irrigation department completed the SRSP Rejuvenation Scheme, at a cost of around Rs 2,000 crore.
The water is sent for a distance of 300 km through reverse pumping by Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). The water thus pumped would reach SRSP. There are three pumping stations in between.
The BRS leaders hoped that the reverse pumping would impress the farmers. Already KLIS has regular visitors from several places as it has become a tourist destination.
BRS leaders are planning to organise a visit to farmers to the project site and explain to them how Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had come to their rescue by putting the scheme in place.
Nizamabad Rural MLA Bajireddy Govardhan said former Prime Minister late PV Narasimha Rao had laid the foundation stone for SRSP Flood Flow Canal in the past though there was no assured supply of water. Now the State government has taken up the SRSP Rejuvenation Project which will benefit farmers having ayacut in this area.
Endowments Minister A Indrakaran Reddy said that he will motivate farmers to visit SRSP RS to see for themselves how committed the State government is in going to their help.
He said he will fix transportation for farmers to visit the SRSP-RS. When the water arrives at the SRPS-RS scheme, he would arrange a huge public meeting to convey gratitude to Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.
He also advised youth to visit the project sites to know how the state government was protecting the farmers’ interests and strengthening the rural economy. Meanwhile, SRSP Flood Flow Canal Executive Engineer Malovathu Sudha Kiran said that the SRSP is receiving 0.5 tmcft of water every day.
Of the eight pumps installed, only four pumps are running from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The government’s instructions are to ensure that 30 tmcft of water reaches SRSP.
