Govt prioritises completion of reservoirs in Rayalaseema

Palamaner (Chittoor district): Minister for Water Resources Dr Nimmala Rama Naidu visited Handri – Neeva works at Appanapalli in Peddapanjani mandal and the Kaigal lift irrigation project works in Baireddipalle mandal of Palamaner constituency on Monday. He was accompanied by Palamaner MLA N Amarnatha Reddy and MLC Dr Kancharla Srikanth during the inspection.

Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that the two projects will be speeded up in the coming days. By completing the pending works, irrigation and drinking water will be provided to the people in the region. He highlighted that during the previous tenure of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Rs 4,200 crore was spent on Handri-Neeva project. The initiative aimed to supply irrigation and drinking water to the four joint districts of Rayalaseema, enhancing the canal's capacity to 3,800 cusecs. However, due to the lack of canal expansion and lining works in the past five years, the project has not been fully utilised.

He added that Punganur and Kuppam branch canals have no water flow at present, reflecting the need for immediate attention. The Minister emphasised that the current State government, led by the Chief Minister, is prioritising the completion of reservoirs in Rayalaseema.

Following the Chief Minister’s directives, projects like Galeru-Nagari, Telugu Ganga and Handri-Neeva have been given top priority. Over the past three days, inspections have been conducted to accelerate the Handri-Neeva works, Rama Naidu disclosed. He assured that plans are underway to complete these projects systematically by the next season, with ongoing consultations with public representatives.

Regarding the Punganur branch canal, 220 kilometres of winding and necessary lining works will be taken up immediately and decisions will be made after bringing this to the Chief Minister’s attention. Measures will be taken to ensure a steady flow of water through the Punganur branch canal. Similarly, lining works will be undertaken to address issues with the Kuppam branch canal.

Minister Rama Naidu also mentioned that although funds were sanctioned earlier for the Kaigal reservoir, the works were not completed. He assured that steps will be taken to finish the reservoir, fulfilling the responsibility of providing irrigation and drinking water to the local communities. Palamaner RDO Manoj Reddy, TDP Chittoor parliamentary president CR Rajan and others were present.