District Collector Anudeep Durishetty has directed officials to expedite the pending land acquisition works related to the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project, underscoring that the works must be completed on a war footing to ensure timely execution of the project.

Chairing a high-level review meeting at the Collectorate on Friday, the Collector, along with Additional Collector P Srinivas Reddy and Kalluru Division Sub-Collector Ajay Yadav, reviewed the progress of the project with officials from the irrigation, revenue, and forest departments.

Highlighting the importance of the project, Durishetty said that the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme is designed to irrigate over seven lakh acres, and delays due to land acquisition and forest clearance issues must be addressed immediately. He called for targeted action to resolve bottlenecks that are slowing progress. He assured that compensation and payments related to land acquisition will be processed promptly with the support of the Deputy Chief Minister and other ministers. “The government has set a target to release water through Yathalakunta by January, and necessary works must be completed accordingly. Once completed, Godavari waters will reach the Sathupalli constituency,” he added.

As part of the review, the Collector issued specific directions saying, “A total of 507 acres of forest land required for the project in Khammam district must be compensated with alternative land allocations. In Package 13, land acquisition for a 10-km canal stretch requires 167 acres of patta land; awards must be passed and compensation completed within a month.”

“In Package 14, public notification phase is ongoing; awards must be passed within three months, and 6 acres of land acquisition must be completed within a week. Package 16 land acquisition must be completed within seven days,” he said.

The Collector instructed officials to finalise proposals for land acquisition for distributary canals across Khammam district. Special survey teams should be deputed, and the distribution canal land survey must be completed within 20 days using additional personnel. Going forward, the Collector said that the progress of the Sitarama project will be reviewed once every 15 days to ensure continuous monitoring and accountability.