Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday directed ministers and officials to expedite the completion of Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS) and all other pending irrigation projects in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district after quickly acquiring land needed for the purpose.
Reviewing the progress of irrigation projects at a meeting with ministers and MLAs from the district, the Chief Minister said the state government was committed to completing the PRLIS on priority and supplying drinking water to 1,226 villages in Nagarkurnool, Mahbubnagar, Narayanpet, Vikarabad, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts in the first phase. He said the government was also working towards completing the associated projects to provide irrigation facilities to 12.3 lakh acres.
Revanth Reddy criticised the claims made by BRS leaders that 90 per cent of the works under the PRLIS had been completed during their ten-year tenure, terming the campaign false and intended to mislead the public. He alleged that the previous BRS government had caused severe damage to the project by shifting the offtake point from Jurala to the Srisailam reservoir. He also accused the previous government of calling tenders for the distributor network without completing land acquisition.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to undertake field visits and expedite land acquisition for the PLRIS and other irrigation projects. He assured that the government would release the required funds for land acquisition and clear pending bills related to the projects. District incharge ministers were directed to hold regular reviews with officials concerned and continuously monitor the progress of irrigation projects in the Palamuru region.
Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari, Government Whip Yennam Srinivas Reddy, MLAs Kasireddy Narayana Reddy, Madhusudan Reddy, Megha Reddy, Rakesh Reddy, Vamsi Krishna, Veerlapalli Shankarayya and Bandla Krishna Mohan Reddy, along with Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, attended the meeting.
Later, Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy held a meeting with ministers and MLAs of erstwhile Mahbubnagar district where he said the government’s objective was to complete the pending projects in Palamuru district on par with the Devadula, SLBC and Seetharama projects and provide abundant irrigation and drinking water facilities.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government was committed to correcting the injustice done to the Palamuru district during the ten-year rule of the BRS government. He announced that another special review meeting would be held within 15 days to reassess measures required for speeding up the works and directed officials to prepare comprehensive reports on the progress of all irrigation projects in the erstwhile district.
Referring to the Jurala project, where heavy silt accumulation has reduced the water storage capacity to less than 8 tmc ft, Uttam Kumar Reddy said proposals had been sent under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP) for desiltation works to improve storage capacity. The minister also instructed officials to undertake desiltation works in minor irrigation tanks before the onset of the monsoon season.
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