Chandrababu Naidu to lay stone for LI scheme at Vaikuntapuram

Guntur: As part of interlinking rivers, the state government will take up a lift irrigation scheme at Vaikuntapuram under Amaravati mandal in Guntur district to lift Godavari waters to Penna river at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore soon. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will set the foundation stone soon and the government has already started tender process for the scheme. 

Addressing a press meet held in the city on Monday, district collector Kona Sasidhar said that the scheme, if completed, will solve irrigation and drinking water needs of people in Guntur, Prakasam and Nellore districts. 

He reminded the government was releasing Polavaram project water to Krishna Western Delta region of Guntur district and added the government would release Nagarjunasagar right canal water for drinking water needs and to cultivate ID crops.

Sasidhar said he had directed the agriculture officials to take stern action on traders who sell spurious seeds, pesticides and fertilizers in the district and book cases. He warned that he will make concerned officials responsible, if spurious fertilizers and pesticides are sold in the district. 

The collector directed the traders of fertilizer shops to set up electronic weighing machines within a week to check irregularities in weighments. 
To a question, he said due to lack of inflows into Nagarjunasagar project, water from  Nagarjunasagar right canal yet to be released for ID crops.  

He said 1.5 tmc feet of  water will be released for drinking water needs soon and added that so far various banks in the district gave Rs 3,105 crore loans for crops against the target of Rs 6,169 crore.