Minister for Roads and Buildings Thummala Nageswara Rao said Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao will lay the foundation stone for the construction of Sitarama Irrigation Project on February 16 in the district.
The project will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 7,000 crore to bring about 5 lakh acres of dry land under irrigation in the district, he said. Speaking to media here on Saturday, Nageswara Rao said the project was proposed long back.
“Due to construction of projects on Krishna River by the Karnataka and Maharashtra governments unofficially, the availability of water in the river to our state has been reduced and that forced to think about alternate sources to construct a project on Godavari River,” he explained.
The minister also said due to construction of the Sitarama Irrigation Project, as many as 22 out of 42 mandals would be covered in the district and majority of lands would be irrigated. The minister also assured that the project would be completed within four years and that about 50 TMC water would be drawn from Godavari River and diverted to lands through this project.
Talking about other developmental activities, the minister said Puttakota Harithavanam near Khammam town would be transformed on the lines of KBR Park in Hyderabad at a cost of Rs 2 crore. Walking, cycle ling tracks and restaurant would be constructed in Puttakota harithavanam, he said.
The Lakaram tank would be renovated at a cost of Rs 13 crore and the tank would be filled with Nagarjuna Sagar water to increase underground water, the minister said. He added that two bedroom houses would be constructed in a phased manner in the district.
ZP Chairperson G Kavitha, DCCB chairman M Vijaya Babu, Joint collector D Divya and others participated in the programme.
Source: The New Indian Express