Make Vizag Smart City not Water Scar-City

​Visakhapatnam: Former Minister Konatala Ramakrishna while welcoming Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s efforts to make Vizag as a Smart City, made a fervent appeal to focus on the water needs of domestic, industrial and irrigation sectors as water is the main natural source for grounding any major industry.

Konatala told The Hans India on Friday that everybody witnessed recently how Visakhapatnam Steel Plant faced severe water crisis, however, early monsoon solved the problem.

He appealed to the Chief Minister to mainly instruct the engineering personnel to focus on the water needs of Visakhapatnam district before making it as a Smart City well before it turns into a ‘Water Scar-City’. “I wrote a letter to the Chief Minister in May this year urging him to initiate steps to cater to the water needs of Uttarandhra and no action was taken,” he lamented.

He suggested to take up Purushottapatnam Lift Irrigation Project on the lines of Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project in the first phase to quench the thrust of Vizagites.

Citing that many companies like NTPC coming forward to set up 4000 MW power project and the HPCL- a crude oil refinery near Atchyutapuram, the former minister questioned the government how it could cater to the water needs of new industries which were coming up.

There was no improvement in the water supply sources in the district since 2003 despite the population growing leaps and bounds. Previous government, too, has neglected the water needs and thus it has experienced the ire of the people,” he pointed out.

He asked the government to take up the Purushottapatnam Lift Irrigation Project as it needs about Rs 1,000 crore and to focus on water needs without depending on rains.Dadi slams TDP govt for ignoring Vizag water needs

Former Minister Dadi Veerabhadra Rao nailed the TDP Government for not focusing on the water needs of domestic, industrial and irrigation sectors of Vizag district even after two years of its ruling.

He told reporters at Anakapalli on Friday though drought was prevailing in the district, the ayacutdars have recently agreed to provide water from Raiwada canal, Tandava and Sarada Rivers for 20 days on humanitarian grounds to cater to the needs of Vizag city.

Veerabhadra Rao said that presently Vizag is getting only 120 MGD of water against its requirement of 170 MGD and questioned when the government would fill up the water gap.

He alleged that there was no agriculture activity for the last two years under the Raiwada canal ayacut as it was supplying 16 MGD of water to the city of the total 120 MGD adding that early completion of Polavaram project would solve the water needs of Visakhapatnam district.

The former Minister pointed out that the project could not be completed by 2018 as was expected by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as the politicians-turned contractors could not be questioned and so the government has to make alternative arrangements to cater to the water needs of industrial and domestic sectors in Visakhapatnam district.

Veerabhadra Rao felt when the government has built Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project to benefit Rayalaseema people, it should now take up Purushottapatnam Lift Irrigation Project as a ‘stop-gap’ arrangement. ‘Unless the Polavaram project is completed, there will be no water supply for the proposed Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanti.

The government has to resolve in the Cabinet pleading the Centre to include Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanti as a part of Polavaram project’, he maintained.

He urged all sections of people irrespective of party affiliations to mount pressure on the government for early completion of Polavaram project and to take up Purushottapatnam Lift Irrigation Project meanwhile.