Lifeline of Western Prakasam waiting for completion for decades

Markapur(Prakasam district): Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project, which can solve water scarcity of both drinking and irrigation needs of about 15.25 lakh people and 4.47 lakhs of acres in 30 mandals in the erstwhile Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts, is waiting for completion for decades. Also, the displaced families are waiting for the rehabilitation and resettlement package and demanding for inclusion of the names of their children, who are married and have separate families.

The Veligonda project was proposed in 1989 by the then government and received approval for the construction with a storage capacity of 43.58 TMC feet of water as part of Jalayagnam in 2004, with a budget of Rs 765 crore. The revised administrative sanction is accorded for Rs 8,054.14 crore in the later period.

After spending Rs 5,948.70 crore for the construction of Sunkesula, Gottipadiya and Kakarla dams, canals, and the boring of two tunnels, after completing 74 per cent of works, Deputy Superintending Engineer E Gangadhar Reddy explained that they require Rs 3,939.24 crore, including Rs 2,109.75 crore for pending works, Rs 612.82 crore for land acquisition, Rs 1,067.63 crore for R&R package, Rs 100 crore for forest and a Rs 49.04 crore for the pending bills. Stating that they are striving to complete the works by December 2023, he said that they are ready to supply water through the first tunnel to the reservoir anytime the government wishes to, by clearing minor obstructions.

The officials identified that about 7,555 families from 11 submerging villages viz., Sunkesula, Kalanuthala, Gundamcherla, Chintalamudipi, Katamraju Thanda, Gottipadia, Ramalingeswarapuram, Sainagar, Krishna Nagar, Akkacheruvu and Lakshmipuram will be affected by the construction of the Veligonda project. The government identified places for constructing the settlement colonies at Idupuru 1, Idupuru 2, Thokapalli, Goguladinne, Devarajugattu, Vemulakota and Ondutla and started to provide basic amenities like roads, drains, drinking water, electricity. The Dy SE said that the works are pending only in Ondutla, Vemulakota and Devarajugattu, and will be complete by August 2023.

The government proposed to pay Rs 12.50 lakh as a one-time settlement for each family or Rs 3.99 lakh for house construction in the settlement colonies to the oustees of the project. However, the oustees are demanding the government to revise the compensation according to the present market rates and extend it also to their children, who were married and started their own families in the meantime.

Markapur former MLA Kandula Narayana Reddy, who took up padayatra demanding the government to complete the Veligonda project, demanded Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to prove his commitment to the welfare of western Prakasam. It should be noted here that the CM is visiting Markapur on Wednesday.

Narayana Reddy criticised that the YSRCP used the sentiment over Veligonda project to win maximum MLA seats in the area but failed to keep its promise of completing it in a year, even after four years of its ruling.

BJYM Prakasam district president K Vishnuvardhan Reddy demanded that the government should pay the compensation to the oustees as per their term and provide drinking water to the fluoride-affected region.

Meanwhile, locals are planning to demand Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy to sanction enough funds for the project in addition to the just Rs 100 crore allocated in the budget, in the public meeting scheduled on Wednesday (April 12).