Completion of Veligonda project priority: Nimmala
Markapuram: Minister for Water Resources, Dr Nimmala Ramanaidu announced that the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project, considered the lifeline of Prakasam district, will soon be completed on a priority basis.
On Tuesday, Minister Ramanaidu, along with other ministers from the erstwhile Prakasam district, Gottipati Ravikumar and Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, district collector Thameem Ansariya, MLAs, public representatives and local officials, visited the Veligonda Project and inspected the status. He discussed the issues of the R&R package, resettlement colonies, and tunnel works with the officials and ordered them to prepare a new schedule for the swift completion of the project.
Speaking at the press meet, Ramanaidu observed that Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation for the Veligonda project in 1996. He said that the project, once completed, will provide irrigation to 4.5 lakh acres and drinking water to 22 lakh people. Between 2014 and 2019, he said that the previous TDP government allocated Rs 1,373 crore and spent Rs 1,319 crore (96%) on the project. He criticised the YSRCP government for spending only Rs 170 crore though allocated Rs 3,000 crore on paper. He blamed YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for prematurely dedicating the project to the nation on March 6, 2024, despite incomplete work.
He said that head regulator works, wall construction, and removal of 1.20 lakh cubic meters of soil, and 6.80 km of lining work are pending. Ramanaidu said that the Veligonda Project is the second priority project for the NDA government after the Polavaram Project. He mentioned that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed the completion of pending works in Phase-1, including head regulator works, two tunnels, feeder channels, and lining, to provide irrigation and drinking water to the people of Prakasam district. Ministers Gottipati Ravikumar and Dr Dola Sree Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy also spoke, emphasising the project’s importance and the government’s commitment for its completion.