Telangana: Fund flow curbs hit water projects hard

Hyderabad: Restrictions imposed by the Union Government on Telangana to seek borrowings had cast a shadow on the ongoing irrigation projects in the state. The Government is facing financial crunch and is not able to fund them from own resources. The corporations on the other hand are not getting loans.

It may be mentioned here that the Union Finance ministry has stopped giving nod to the request for loans from the RBI since April - the beginning of the new financial year 2022-2023.

Official sources said that the execution of Sitarama Irrigation scheme, Sangameshwara and Basawesra projects and other schemes will have to be slowed down if the crunch continues. The government had set the target of completing the Sitarama project in Khammam district by September this year. It also gave a nod to mobilize Rs 13,000 crore for the project.

The government has registered the Manjeera Lift Irrigation Corporation Limited to execute the Sangameshwara Lift Irrigation Project (SLIP) and Basaveshwara Lift Irrigation Project (BLIP) in January this year. Now, the mobilization of funds through the Corporation is a big challenge because the Centre is not permitting the state to mobilize funds through corporations also.

The State had approved allocation of Rs 2,251.12 crore for completion of irrigation schemes. The Cabinet recently gave nod to allocate Rs 388.20 crore for construction of a link canal from Mallannasagar reservoir to Tapaspalli reservoir in Siddipet district and also revised the estimated cost of Chanaka Korata to Rs 795.94 crore to set up a pump house. The estimation of the Gutti lift scheme was also revised to Rs 669 crore. Authorities said that the Irrigation department was already on the job to mobilize funds through various channels which includes seeking financial assistance from the Union Jal Shakti ministry under AIBP (Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme). It is learnt that the top officials of state Irrigation department had recently met their counterparts of the Union ministry in New Delhi and sought special grants to complete the works fast.