Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao asked the Water Resources Department officials to complete the works on Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme by December this year. He also wanted officials to complete work on the pending projects in the Krishna Basin. He said the time has come for the Water Resources Department officials to work with total commitment.
"There are some unfinished works to be completed. Think on how fast we can complete these works. Works should be continued taking inspiration from the Kaleshwaram Project. In any case, the works on Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme should be completed by this December," the Chief Minister told a high-level review meeting on the progress of works on the project on Sunday.
In this meeting, ministers, MLAs and other public representatives from Palamuru region (undivided Mahabubnagar district) participated. They included minister S Niranjan Reddy, V Srinivas Goud, State Planning Board Vice Chairman B Vinod Kumar, MLAs and senior officials.
KCR recalled that during the separate Telangana statehood movement, his speeches never concluded without mentioning the water crisis in Mahbubnagar and the fluoride problem of Nalgonda.
"The then rulers have intentionally kept Telangana projects in pending. After formation of the state, the ongoing pending projects are being completed one by one. Certain vested interests have created problems and obstacles for the completion of the Palamuru Rangareddy project by filing cases in the courts and getting stay orders. But yet we are going ahead with the works with more determination. We have completed ongoing pending projects like Kalwakurty, Nettempadu, Bhima and also Jurala and turned 11 lakh acres in southern Palamuru as fertile lands," he said.
The CM analysed that there is a difference between the flow of Godavari River and Krishna. The Godavari river flow would be more while it traverses while the flow from Krishna will be less. Moreover, with upper riparian states of Krishna River like Karnataka and Maharashtra constructing projects and the neighbouring state taking away water through pipes and due to lack of rain, availability of water in Krishna has been on the decline and reached danger levels. Against this backdrop, the rightful share of the state in Krishna water should be utilised to the last drop. For this, all the pending projects on Krishna River including Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme should be completed on a war footing, the CM told officials.
He said Krishna water should be diverted to make Palamuru full of fertile and crop yielding land. The faster the project is completed the better for the farmers and the agriculture sector. He said this project could be linked to the Jurala project.
The CM discussed with the ministers and officials about the land acquisition to be taken up for the Lift Irrigation Scheme, rehabilitation measures, construction of the sub stations, digging of the canals, setting up of the pumps and related works.