Farmers need to dig field channels

- WG Collector reviews irrigation projects’ progress
- Directs officials complete all works of Yeerakalva reservoir canal under delta modernisation programme by the first week of July
- Wonders why officials paid bills to contractors in some packages without completing Yerrakalva widening works
- Says 1,447 houses need to be constructed for displaced people in 19 villages in Polavaram mandal
- Questions officials why they fail to take up works on Krishna canal bund in Eluru even though encroachments removed long ago
- Furious with officials for allowing contractor to collect toll fee for 2 years without laying six-lane road from Gundugolanu to Kovvuru

Eluru: West Godavari District Collector K Bhaskar has requested the farmers to cooperate with the administration by digging field channels under Tadipudi Lift Irrigation Scheme (TLIS) for a stretch of 600 km. The Collector conducted a review meeting on irrigation projects’ work progress at Collectorate here on Saturday.

He said that if the TLIS completed, water would be supplied to about two lakh acres. At present, the officials were supplying water to 50,000 acres through TLIS, he said and added that the Government was ready to supply water to remaining 1.5 lakh acres. However, he requested the farmers to dig field channels in their farmlands with coordination. He pointed out that the digging of field channels was the responsibility of Water Users Associations (WUAs). In view of this, the WUAs should dig field channels to a stretch of 600 km.

The Collector directed the officials to complete all works of Yerrakalva reservoir canal under delta modernisation programme by the first week of July. He stated that about 25,000 cubic metres of earthwork was pending and this should be completed by July first week.

He ordered the officials to speed up the Yerrakalva widening works. He said it was come to his notice that the officials paid bills to contractors in some packages without completing the work. He said the officials should ensure completion of the works by those contractors. The Collector further stated that as many as 1,447 houses need to be constructed for displaced people in 19 villages in Polavaram mandal and directed officials to complete those works.

He questioned the officials for not taking up any works on Krishna canal bund in Eluru city and surrounding areas even though the encroachments removed long back. He was angry with the officials for collecting toll fee for the last two years without laying six-lane road from Gundugolanu to Kovvuru. He said that he would recover the collected toll fee from the contractor. He directed the NHAI and R&B officials to complete the expansion work of national highway immediately.

Joint Collectors P Koteswara Rao, MH Sheriff, District Revenue Officer K Prabhakar Rao, Polavaram project SE Srinivas Yadav and others participated in the review meeting.