Varikapudisela Lift irrigation project: CM to lay stone today

Vijayawada: The decades-old dream of drought-prone Palnadu region people is going to come true as Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will be laying a foundation of Varikapudisela lift irrigation scheme on November 15.

As per schedule, the Chief Minister will take off from his camp office at 9.45 am on Wednesday and reach Macharla, where he will address a public meeting after laying foundation for the lift irrigation project.

It may be noted that the project got delayed for last several decades due to delay in environmental and forest clearances as the scheme requires laying of four km pipeline across Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR). Finally, the National Wildlife Board granted permission for the project in May this year. The Chief Minister met the Union minister for environment and forests in the past seeking the clearances for the lift project to mitigate the suffering of people of the drought-hit region.

The lift irrigation project is proposed to lift water from Varikapudisela stream which merges into Krishna river near Nagarjunasagar. The scheme is aimed at providing irrigation facility to around 50,000 acre land in addition to meeting the drinking water needs of people of Macharla and Vinukonda areas.