Uttam orders speedy disbursal of irrigation funds

Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday directed District Collectors and Irrigation officials to ensure that funds released for land acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement reach affected farmers on a war footing.

Warning that public money should not remain parked in government accounts while irrigation projects are delayed, the Minister expressed deep concern during a video conference review that nearly Rs 813 crore remained undisbursed across district-level accounts of District Collectors, Revenue Divisional Officers, and Special Deputy Collectors. Officials informed the meeting that since April 1, tokens worth approximately Rs 3,101 crore had been submitted, with around Rs 2,504 crore released towards land acquisition and R&R. Of the pending amount, Rs 502 crore was sitting with Land Acquisition Officers and Rs 311 crore with Collectors. Uttam Kumar Reddy noted that the accumulation of funds without reaching land losers was alarming, instructing Collectors to intervene personally and expedite negotiations to facilitate prompt awards and payments.

The Minister examined district-wise bottlenecks across Nalgonda, Yadadri-Bhongir, Narayanpet, Siddipet, Vikarabad, Jagtial, and Hanumakonda. Reviewing Nalgonda specifically, he addressed delays regarding the Chintapalli reservoir, Pendlipaka balancing reservoir, Udayasamudram, and Nellikallu projects. Emphasising the urgency of completing land acquisition for Pendlipakala, Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that the balancing reservoir was vital to realizing benefits from the SLBC tunnel upon completion.

He cautioned that if the tunnel is completed while land acquisition for the balancing reservoir remains unfinished, public investment will fail to yield intended benefits. Collectors were repeatedly instructed to compress administrative timelines rather than allowing routine multi-week processing delays.

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