Jagan demands completion of Veligonda R&R works

Vijayawada: YSRCP president and former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy demanded that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu immediately focus on completing the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) works of the Veligonda project and make immediate payment so that water can be stored this season, meeting the irrigation and drinking water needs.

Taking to social media platform X, the former CM wrote that the Veligonda project, which is the lifeline for the drought-stricken Prakasam district, is being neglected by the TDP coalition government. Despite the critical need to complete this project and provide its benefits to the people, no significant attention has been given by the current administration, he said.

He claimed that YSRCP government successfully completed two tunnels of the project, overcoming several technical challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic. He noted that Tunnel-1 was completed and dedicated to the nation in January 2021, followed by the successful completion of Tunnel-2 in January 2024. Jagan said that his government realised the vision of late Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who had initiated the construction of the project in 2005.

He noted that while the two tunnels were completed, the R&R work remains unfinished. He stated that an immediate payment of around Rs 1,200 crore is needed to finalise the R&R process and store water this season.

He also mentioned that the previous YSRCP government had already prepared detailed plans for R&R, but after more than two months after coming to power, Chandrababu Naidu’s administration showed no visible effort to address the issue.

He alleged that Chandrababu has been conveniently inflating civil work estimates and awarding contracts for personal gain while neglecting the rehabilitation of displaced people and pointed out similar negligence in the Gandikota project, which delayed water storage. He said that only after the YSRCP government took over, Rs 1,000 crore was paid to displaced families, enabling the storage of 27 tmc ft of water.

Jagan said his government completed the R&R for the Chitravathi project with Rs 250 crore, enabling the storage of 10 tmc ft of water. He also noted that Rs 60 crore was spent to finish the diaphragm wall at Brahmasagar, along with the completion of the Telugu Ganga canal lining, which allowed the transport of 17,000 cusecs of water and storage of 17 tmc ft.

The YSRCP chief alleged that during Chandrababu’s tenure, the R&R for the Pulichintala project was neglected, but the YSRCP government allocated Rs140 crore to complete it, enabling full capacity storage of 46 tmc ft of water.