Ongole: Confusion over completion of Veligonda project

Ongole: Unless there is a huge flood in the Srisailam project, the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda project cannot be filled with enough water to release it through the main canals for the purpose of agriculture and drinking water needs in a part of the Prakasam district.

The Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project is envisioned to provide irrigation water to 4.473 lakh acres and 15.25 lakh people in the 30 mandals of the erstwhile Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts. The then chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy laid the foundation for the project on October 27, 2004 and the construction was taken up in two phases.

The estimations for the completion of the project increased from Rs 765 crore to Rs 8,052.10 crore through various GOs, and Rs 5,830.93 crore were spent on the works, land acquisition, rehabilitation, forest lands etc.,

According to officials, they have already completed 75 per cent of the work of the project. They filled the gaps of the hills at Sunkesula, Gottipadiya and Kakarla, completed Tunnel I, the feeder canal, and Gottipadiya canal and are working on erecting the head regulator at Tunnel II, boring the remaining 654 m of the 18.838 KM Tunnel II, the head regulator works at Teegaleru canal and Eastern Main Canal by digging the gaps in the canals.

The Superintending Engineer of the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project, S Abuthaleem said that they are boring the remaining gap in the Tunnel II of 654 m on Tuesday, 3 meters and 6 meters on alternative days.

He said that they asked the construction company to complete the tunnel by the end of October and they are trying to complete it soon. He said that the head regulator works of the Teegaleru Canal and Eastern Main Canal are also going on in a pace to be completed in a few weeks.

He said that once the Teegaleru head regulator and the canal works are complete, they can pump the water from the project to 60,000 acres of ayacut in the Yerragondapalem, Pullalacheruvu, Dornala and part of Markapuram mandals.

Abuthaleem said that they are ready to fill the Veligonda project through Tunnel I, whenever the Srisailam project receives flood water. He said that they need at least 10 TMC feet of water in the reservoir to supply through the canals, and explained that it takes 40 days to fill 10 TMC feet of water through Tunnel I alone or 15 days through Tunnel II alone, or 10 days through the Tunnel I and Tunnel II together.

Based on the availability of the flood water in the Srisailam project, they are ready to fill the reservoir and release the water through the Teegaleru or Eastern Main Canal by the end of October.

However, the farmers’ leaders didn’t buy the version of the government. Chunduri Rangarao, Prakasam district convener of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha said that by the calculations of the government itself, the boring of Tunnel II cannot be completed in less than four to five months, and pray for the flood water in the Srisailam project as the state government is mum while Telangana government has constructed the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme illegally on Krishna and is drawing about 68 TMC feet of water to irrigate 12 lakh acres.

He said that based on the note the chief engineer gave to him in March 2023, the project requires Rs 4061.03 crore, including the dues to contractors and the R&R package for completion. He said that the government allocated only Rs 100 crore in the 2023-24 budget, and demanded that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy release the remaining funds for the completion of the project. He advised the chief minister to prove that he keeps his word, at least this time after violating his promises many number of times in the last four years.