Irrigation minister T Harish Rao on Thursday said that instead of bowing down to the Opposition pressure, the government will go ahead and complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi irrigation projects on Krishna River.
In a press release here on Thursday, Harish Rao took objection to the comments made by AP TDP, YSRC and Telangana Congress leaders regarding the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Dindi projects. Refuting the claims of AP politicos terming the projects illegal, Harish Rao said: “Taking cue from the Andhra leaders, the Telangana Congress leaders have also started opposing the projects.”
“Telangana has been utilising its own share of water in the Krishna River unlike other states such as AP,” he said. Instead of blaming the TRS government, both TDP and YSRC should focus on the welfare and development of people of AP, he added.
Harish Rao also found fault with AP irrigation minister Devineni Uma for who demanding the Central government to call off both the projects.
Harish Rao also explained that the Telangana State’s share in the assured waters in Krishna River was 299 tmc. Telangana would get 150 tmc in the surplus waters of Krishna, Rao said. The proposed Palamuru project was to use 70 tmc and the Dindi was designed to use 30 tmc, he explained.
The minister recalled that Bhima project had an allocation of 100 tmc in Krishna River even before the bifurcation of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.
“We are trying to use those allocated waters,” Harish Rao said.
State Govt accords administrative sanction for Barrage across Godavari
The state government on Thursday accorded administrative sanction for construction of a barrage across Godavari River, downstream of Sriram Sagar project to store 1.58 tmc to irrigate Sadarmat anicut and Ganganala project ayauct. The barrage will come up near Ponkal village in Adilabad district at an estimated cost of `516.233 crore. The state government also accorded administrative approval for the construction of Integrated (Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar) Dummugudem Lift Irrigation Scheme which has now been named Sita Rama Lift Irrigation project. Estimated at a cost of `7,926.147 crore, the project will irrigate an ayacut of five lakh acres in Khammam district. The project has been designed to draw 50 tmc water.
Source: The New Indian Express