State govt neglecting key irrigation projects: Devineni

VIJAYAWADA: TDP State general secretary and former Minister Devineni Uma Mahesawara Rao came down heavily on the YSRCP government for not according pri-ority to important irrigation projects in the State.

He said that due to the negligence of the government, the Polavaram Pro-ject diaphragm wall was damaged and Purushothapatnam and Pattiseema Lift irrigation schemes were left unutilised.

Uma participated in a roundtable meeting on 'The present conditions of the irrigation projects – budget allocations' organised by the CPI here on Sun-day. Speaking on the occasion, the former minister said that during the five years of TDP regime Rs 68,294 crore had been spent on irrigation projects, while only Rs 22,165 crore was spent by the YSRCP government during the last four years. He further said that the YSRCP government had decreased the budgetary allocation for the water resources department from Rs 16,878 crore to Rs 11,473 crore.

APCC chief spokesperson Dr N Tulasi Reddy lamented that despite Karna-taka taking up illegal projects over the Krishna and Godavari rivers, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy remained silent and had not even exerted pressure on the Centre to stop the projects.

CPI State secretary K Ramakrishna alleged that the both Central and State governments were neglecting irrigation projects. A unanimous resolution was passed at the meeting demanding that the State government allocate 15 per cent of funds in the ensuing Annual Budget for water resources. An-other resolution was passed asking the State government to exert pressure on Centre to release Rs 80,000 crore for the completion of Polavaram pro-ject. CPM leader Ch Babu Rao and Delta Parirakshana Samithi leader Yerneni Nagendranath also spoke.