Veligonda phase-1 to be completed by July : CM

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday announced that the first phase of the Veligonda Project will be completed by July this year and Krishna water will be brought to the project.

Marking 30 years since the foundation stone was laid on March 5, 1996, Naidu recalled that he had personally performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the project as Chief Minister. He said the initiative was launched to address severe drinking and irrigation water shortages in the backward western regions of the then united Prakasam district.

The project aims to provide irrigation to 4.38 lakh acres and drinking water to 15 lakh people in Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts by utilizing 43.50 TMC of water from the foreshore of the Srisailam reservoir.

The Chief Minister stated that although the project had been neglected for years, works were accelerated between 2014 and 2019, during which Rs 1,414 crore was spent. He alleged that subsequent governments slowed progress and conducted inaugurations without completing core works.

After the coalition government assumed office in 2024, the project was accorded top priority, he said. Pending bills worth Rs 140 crore were cleared and Rs 585 crore has since been spent on construction. He added that 2,200 cubic metres of concrete work for the head regulator has been completed, while feeder canal lining and retaining wall works are progressing at a cost of Rs 456 crore.

Naidu said Phase-2 of the project will be completed by 2027-28. He asserted that completion of Veligonda would fulfil a decades-old promise and transform drought-prone areas by ensuring water to every acre, boosting agriculture and promoting horticulture cultivation. “I laid the foundation stone for Veligonda… I will complete it and provide water,” the Chief Minister said in a social media post.