Chanaka-Korata Barrage Works will be completed by Khariff 2018: Harish Rao

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Friday said that the Chanaka-Korata Barrage works would be completed by Khariff 2018. The Minister was replying to a question raised by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) member Rathod Bapu Rao, who wanted to know the time by which the project would be completed. The Minister said the government was contemplating to provide water even before the completion of project. He said an extent of 13,500 acres was proposed to be irrigated under Chanaka-Korata barrage and 37,500 acres under lower Penganga Project.

The Minister said the project was conceived during 1975 but no effort was taken up by successive governments. He said the project works were delayed because it was 88 per cent located in Maharashtra and 12 per cent in Telangana. The project site was in Marathwada and the irrigated area was in Vidharbha and hence there were issues within Maharashtra.

The Minister said the Chief Minister visited Maharashtra and met his counterpart there twice and he met the officials seven times to speed up the formalities. He said the project was taken up by the government and works were going on at a brisk pace. The project received maximum clearances like environment, forest, and interstate and there were two more clearances, which are expected to come.