Rs 2,000 cr demanded for Veligonda

Markapuram: CPM politburo member BV Raghavulu demanded an immediate allocation of Rs 2,000 crore for the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda Project construction.

The leaders BV Raghavulu, Y Venkateswara Rao, Haneef, Kondareddy, and others visited the Veligonda project on Tuesday and interacted with the engineering officials.

The leaders enquired with engineers on the status of the project, issues, and the funds required for the completion of the project.

They observed that despite the foundation stone being laid 28 years ago, the project construction remains incomplete.

The project is crucial as it’s the only water source alternative to rainfall in the region, and can potentially provide irrigation to 4.32 lakh acres and drinking water to 16 lakh people.

The leaders recognised that the rehabilitation and resettlement package had not yet been provided to the affected villages. They criticised the situation, stating that the construction work seems to benefit contractors rather than the local population.

They said that one of the tunnels could be utilised immediately and called on the government to release water through it. Furthermore, they urged all political parties to join together in a movement advocating for the project’s completion and to organize large-scale protests in the future.