Projects redesigned to rectify defects: Minister

​Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Wednesday said the government had taken up redesigning of the irrigation projects keeping in mind the interests of the State and to make Telangana food repository of the country by providing water to 1 crore acres.

The Minister was replying to a question raised by the BJP leader G Kishan Reddy during the Question Hour in the Assembly. The BJP leader sought to know the details of redesigned irrigation projects. Harish Rao said that the government had taken up redesigning of the five irrigation projects like Pranahita Chevella Sujala Sravanthi, JCR Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme, Indiramma Flood Flow Canal, P V Narasimha Rao Kanthanapally Sujala Sravanthi and Sita Rama Lift Irrigation project. 

Citing the reasons, the Minister said, these projects had been re-designed to rectify certain deficiencies in terms of hydrology, location, unresolved interstate aspects and storage requirements. Without redesigning, certain projects were not viable, he said. The Central Water Commission had advised the government to review the quantum of divertible flows from Pranahita barrage at Tummidihatti and increase the storage capacity of online reservoirs or construct artificial reservoirs to meet the storage requirements of the project, he said. 

Harish Rao said the projects were redesigned with a cost of Rs 61,489.92 crore for achieving an additional 30 lakh acres of new and stabilisation of ayacut under these projects. Storage capacity of online reservoirs is increased up to 206.36 tmc. With the increase, there is a scope for fisheries, tourism and inland water navigation due to rejuvenation of Godavari River for a length of 250 km, said the Minister.

The Minister said the government was taking up project works on war foot to provide water to one lakh acres in every constituency. He said that with Kaleshwaram project water would be provided to 37 lakh acres, industrial needs and drinking water needs. With these projects Telangana would become a food repository of India and turn into Green Telangana and resemble like Konaseema, he said.

The Minister informed that three pump houses and three barrages in Kaleshwaram link-I would be completed within 20 months. He said that within six months two crore bags of cement were used. He further said that 60 per cent works were completed until now with workers working in three shifts and Chief Minister monitoring the works on a daily basis through CCTV cameras. 

Rao said the TRS government cancelled the mobilisation advance, which was used to be given during the Congress regime. Every drop of water from the Krishna and the Godavari rivers would be put to use, he added. When the BJP leaders pointed out the barrages were constructed even at places where there is no availability of water under Palamur Rangareddy project, the Minister did not disclose the details stating that arguments were going on in front of the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal. He refuted the allegations that the government was taking up projects without any DPRs. 

He said that though the Central government had given permissions, but this was possible because of TRS government, which made changes as per the directions of CWC. The Kaleshwaram project would provide water to Warangal, Nalgonda, Tungaturti, Kodada, Suryapet constituencies. The constituencies of Huzurabad, Parkal, Mahabubabad would get water from Mid Manair. He said that Kanthanapally was redesigned at Tupakulagudem because 11,000 acres of land and 20 tribal villages were getting submerged. 

The Minister urged the BJP leaders help in getting various permissions for the projects. Earlier, Kishan Reddy alleged that the project estimates, expenditure had increased but not the Contractors. K Laxman alleged that proper compensation was not given under land acquisition.