Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to lay stone for Somasila canal works on Monday

Nellore: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will lay the foundation for the phase-2 works of the Somasila High-Level Canal with Rs 648 crore on November 9, virtually.

Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy promised during the elections that he would try for early completion of the project. Now, the Chief Minister has given a green signal for the works. Around 60 per cent of works have earlier been completed by 2019 and the rest are now to be taken up.

Phase-2 of Anam Sanjeeva Reddy Somasila High-Level Lift Canal was designed to ensure irrigation to the water-starved Udayagiri and Atmakur constituencies and has been delayed for around a decade. The project was sanctioned during the Congress regime and moved at a snail's pace and has been delayed by the subsequent governments due to various issues.

By completing this project, there would be a possibility of providing water for irrigation to around 1 lakh acres in Anantasagaram, Marripadu, Duttaluru, Atmakuru and Udayagiri mandals besides stabilizing water requirement to 43,000 acres of lands. Over 2.5 lakh citizens would also get drinking water in 58 villages in all these mandals. A length of 51 km of canal works, 5 pump houses in the first phase and 2 pump houses in the second phase were proposed. Works at Eguvapalli, Chaparlapadu and Bhimavaram tanks are already completed.