North Andhra projects to be ready by June '24

Vijayawada: Irrigation minister Ambati Rambabu informed the state Assembly on Wednesday that four of the nine irrigation projects in north Andhra would be completed in June 2024, one in June 2023, two in August 2023 and two in December 2023.

He was answering a question posed by TDP MLAs K Atchannaidu, Ashok Bendalam, Ramakrishna Babu Velagapudi and PGVR Naidu on the irrigation projects in the north Andhra region.

Rambabu said 90 per cent works on BRR Vamsadhara Project phase-II of Stage II were completed. Likewise, 83 per cent works on Sardar Gouthu Lacchanna Thotapalli Barrage, 43 per cent works on Gajapatiraju Nagaram branch canal, 38 per cent of works on Mahendratanaya offshore reservoir, 70 per cent works on interlinking of Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers, 41 per cent works on Tarakarama Tirtha Sagaram reservoir, 79 per cent works on Sri Gorle Sriramulu Naidu Madduvalasa reservoir project stage-II and 76 percent works on Vasireddy Krishna Mjurthy Naidu Janjhavati reservoir project were completed.

The minister said that preliminary work on the lift irrigation scheme at km 2.40 of right main canal of Gotta Barrage to Hiramandalam reservoir was started after the agreement was signed.

Referring to the fund allocation, he said that Rs 77.94 crore was spent in 2019-20, Rs 50.06 crore in 2020-21, Rs 52.19 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 172.53 crore in 2022-23 totaling Rs 352.72 crore for BRR Vamsadhara project phase-II of Stage-II.

For Sardar Gouthu Lacchanna Thotapalli Barrage, Rs 13.65 crore in 2019-20, Rs 37.28 crore in 2020-21, Rs 1.35 crore in 2021-22 and Rs 4.26 crore in 2022-23 totalling Rs 56.54 crore. This project is expected to be completed in June 2023.

The Gajapatinagaram branch canal is expected to be completed in June 2024 though not a single rupee was allotted to it in 2021-22 and 2022-23. The government spent Rs 3.51 crore in 2019-20 and Rs 1.20 crore in 2020-21 on the branch canal.

Likewise, the government did not allocate a single rupee for Mahendratanaya offshore reservoir in 2022-23, though it has spent Rs 26.98 crore during the three previous years. However, the Minister was optimistic that it would be completed in June 2024.

In case of interlinking of Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers and Taramkarama Tirtha Sagaram reservoir not a single rupee was allocated during 2022-23. However, the Minister said that these two projects would be completed in August 2023 and June 2024 respectively.