Government vows to speed up tail-end works of Kaleshwaram, PRRLI

Hyderabad: The completion of all the balancing packages of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme and Palamuru–Rangareddy lift irrigation project has been given top priority in the irrigation sector in the new financial year of 2022-2023.

Along with Sangameswara and Basaveshwara projects, the government is ensuring that the balance packages of Kaleshwaram projects related to Nirmal, Nizamabad, Kamareddy, Yadadri-Bhongir, Medak and Sangareddy districts are also being expedited, said Finance Minister T Harish Rao while presenting the budget 2022-2023 in the Assembly here on Monday.

The largest reservoir of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation scheme, Mallanna Sagar, and Annapurna, Ranganayaka Sagar and Konda Pochamma Sagar reservoirs have been completed and were operational, the Minister informed. He added that though there was no assistance provided from the Centre for irrigation projects, the State government was completing all pending projects and also the new ones, he said.

"More than 70 per cent works of Palamuru have already been completed," Harish said, adding that works related to reservoirs and pump houses were going on at a brisk pace at Narlapoor, Yedula, Vattem, Karivena and Uddandapur. The government is in the process of calling tenders and entrustment of works for the following projects – Wardha Barrage, Kupti, Chennuru Lift Irrigation, Nalgonda Lift Irrigation, Gattu Lift Irrigation scheme of Gadwal, and Vikarabad-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation scheme, he said. Harish came down heavily on the Centre for not responding to the issue of determining the share of Telangana in the Krishna river water under Section 3 of Interstate Water Disputes Act. "There is no response despite repeated requests. It has been five months since the submission of DPRs related to Godavari projects to the Central Water Commission, but no clearances are forthcoming. Not a single project is given the national project status," he added.