Ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy (Irrigation), P. Srinivas Reddy (Revenue) and D. Seethakka (PR & RD, Women Welfare) at the intake well of DLIS in Mulugu district on Friday.
HYDERABAD
Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the government is planning to appoint an IAS officer for speedy land acquisition for Palamuru-Rangareddy, Sita Rama and Devadula projects, as it is committed to complete them in a time-bound manner.
He said this during his visit to the Devadula project site – intake well near Gangaram village in Mulugu district, and first of the four pump houses of the first phase – on Friday. The Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme (DLIS) would be completed by March 2026 and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who laid the foundation for it in 2004-05, would inaugurate the project.
Along with Ministers P. Srinivas Reddy and D. Seethakka and other elected representatives of combined Warangal districts, Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy reviewed the progress of work. He said that combined Warangal district would be perennially green by drawing 60 tmc ft water from Godavari for 300 days in a year and that will aid irrigation and drinking water needs.
He alleged that the BRS Government had failed to take up land acquisition for projects in a required measure even after designing the projects and taking up works.
De-silting
Stating that many reservoirs in the State were getting silted with soil, sand and other material, he added that the government was planning to make use of modern technology to de-silt the beds to restore their water holding capacity. An amount of ₹1,100 crore was allocated for de-silting and jungle clearance works (in canals).
The Irrigation Department would soon appoint 700 assistant engineers to strengthen it, and 1,800 ‘lashkars’ (personnel who keep a tab on water flow in canals) too would be taken up on outsourcing basis soon.
The Minister said that the previous government had failed to get water allocation done for Sita Rama project and it was the Congress Government that had pursued the matter with the Central Water Commission and got 67 tmc ft of water allocated for the project. All other approvals for Sita Rama too were in the final stages of clearance and the fate of Sammakka Barrage too was not different either.
The State Government was pursuing a no objection certificate from the Chhattisgarh Government to complete the Sita Rama project at the earliest. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka were after it and Secretary (Irrigation) Rahul Bojja and Engineer-in-Chief B. Nagender Rao were in Chhattisgarh on Friday for the purpose.
