KCR on track to usher in Bangaru Telangana

​Hyderabad: The Telangana State government is inching closer towards achieving the goal of creating irrigation facility in one crore acres, by taking up 36 major and medium irrigation projects (some of them re-engineered and re-designed) and the revival of abandoned water bodies under the Mission Kakatiya.

For the last four years, the government had to face many hurdles including persisting water-sharing disputes with Andhra Pradesh, clearances from the Centre for new projects, land acquisition and the opposition parties’ conspiracy to check government efforts through court interferences in the execution of the projects works.

Soon after coming to power on June 2, 2014, the Chief Minister, K Chandrasekhar Rao, with the able support of State Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, accorded top priority to the irrigation sector. The government redesigned and re-engineered many projects taken up by the previous Congress dispensations in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

Two mega projects – Kaleshwaram on river Godavari and Palamuru- Rangareddy Lift irrigation project on Krishna – have been taken up, and they soon became the flagship projects, taken up at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore, to expand irrigation potential and put to an end to the perennial farming crisis.

The landmark inter-state agreement entered into with Maharashtra for construction of Kaleshwaram project is a big milestone in resolution of irrigation crisis in Telangana. The KCR government has succeeded in breaking all barriers relative to long-pending inter-state water disputes within no time. The deal clinched with Maharashtra paved the way for optimum utilisation of its share of 954 tmcft of Godavari waters.

KCR's vision has been reflected in the design of Kaleshwaram which covers entire north and southern Telangana districts creating 18.3 lakh acres of new ayacut and stabilisation of existing 18.9 lakh acres. The government rushed through with all required spadework and thus could get all required clearances from the union government. It also had to foil the attempts of the Opposition to obstruct projects through court orders.

The government primarily accorded priority to completion of the 26 long-pending projects as well as revival of abandoned water bodies under the Mission Kakatiya. Huge allocations made in every budget proposals gave a big fillip to irrigation. Allocations amounting to more than 20 per cent of the budget in every fiscal for the last three years brought about a big turnaround in irrigation. Nearly Rs 60,000 crore funds were spent on various projects and the Mission Kakatiya so far.

Out of the 36 planned projects, 5 major and 4 medium irrigation projects and 57 lift irrigation schemes have already been completed, creating a cumulative irrigation potential of new 14.83 lakh acres and stabilization of 4 lakh acres. In addition, Under Mission Kakatiya, 6 lakh acres have been stabilised. Completion of three major lift irrigation schemes including Kalwakurthi, Bheema and Nettempadu in the most backward Mahbubnagar district benefited 2.25 lakh acres of balance ayacut.

The completion of Bhaktha Ramadasu Lift irrigation scheme to provide irrigation facilities in Khammam ahead of the schedule has proved the government's commitment to completion of works on a war footing. Modernisation and restoration of existing irrigation system under Nagarjuna Sagar, Nizam Sagar, Kadem, SRSP, Musi, Palair etc are nearing completion stage.

The TRS government has also devised a master plan aiming to create irrigation facility in one lakh acres in each rural Assembly constituency under different sources.