Telangana: More funds to be pumped into irrigation sector

Hyderabad: The Irrigation sector has got a big boost as usual. The Telangana government on Thursday earmarked a whooping Rs 16,931 crore for irrigation projects and completion of lift schemes. The sector was given top priority from 2014 to 2018 by allocating not less than Rs 15,000 crore.

In 2019 and 2020, it got less than Rs 10,000 crore as the government mobilised funds through borrowings from banks.

Stating that Sitarama Sagar project is nearing completion and the work of Palamuru – Ranga Reddy lift irrigation project is on at a brisk pace, Finance Minister T Harish Rao said the Dindi lift irrigation project that could provide water to the Sagar left canal lands, near Nalgonda district, will be completed soon.

The Sammakka Sagar (Thupakulagudem), which is part of Devadula project, is already near completion. Construction of the Sitamma Sagar (Dummugudem) which is a part of Sitarama Project, will start in due course.

The government also proposed to construct new lifts to increase irrigation facilities. They are: Nallikal lift (Nagarjunasagar constituency), Pogilla, Kambalapally, Nambapuram-Peddagattu, Peddamunigaala and Akkampalli lifts (Devarakonda), Dunnapothula gandi-Balnepally, Baplathanda, Kesavapuram-Kondrapole, Bothalapalem-Vadapalli, Veerlapalem, Thopucharla lifts (Miryalaguda), MBC-Muktyala Branch Canal, Jaanpad lifts (Huzurnagar), Nagamadugu lift (Jukkal), Jakora, Chandur, Fathepur-Chittapur (Bansvada), Mucherla, Kamtam-Chikli lifts (Armur), Kodicherla lift (Balkonda), Sthambampalli, Velgaturu, Dammanapeta lifts (Dharmapuri), Pipri lift (Muthol),Gattu lift (Gadwal) and Ellareddy Lift (Dubbaka).

The government has prepared DPRs for Gopaladinne lift (Kollapur), Markandeya lift (Nagarkurnool), Sangameshwara lift (Zahirabad & Sangareddy), Basaveswara lift (Narayanked), and five lifts in Asifabad of East Adilabad, Sirpur, Bellampalli, Chennur, Mancherial constituencies, Illendu lift (Illendu) and Pragadapalli (Bhadrachalam), Administrative sanctions will be accorded for them in due course, the minister said.