Palamuru to be ready in 10 months: CM KCR

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao said that the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project will be completed in the next 10 months.

“Nobody believed us when we said we will complete Kaleshwaram irrigation project. Now it is there for everyone to see. Chief Ministers of other States, Power Finance Corporation Chairman and the Central Water Commission are surprised at the pace at which we completed the project. It is now being praised as a man-made marvel. They are also showing videos about Kaleshwaram at New York’s Times Square,” the Chief Minister said.

The State government, he said after his visit to some of the PRLIS sites on Thursday, will complete the project with the same spirit, adding that through the Kaleshwaram project, so far, about 14 tmcft of water had been sent to the Mid-Manair reservoir.

“There has been some delay caused by some anti-development forces that filed cases in courts. So the government took up the task of completing pending projects of Koilsagar, Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu and Bhima and we are now getting good results from them. Including Jurala project’s own ayact, we are able to irrigate about 11,200 acres. We are also filling up 1,000 to 1,500 village tanks



along the way,” he said.

“Once PRLIP is completed, Mahbubnagar, south Nalgonda, Ranga Reddy and Vikarabad districts will receive irrigation and Hyderabad will get drinking water,” he said.

All these years, every summer, we had to request Karnataka to bail us out. Once the project is completed and the Godavari and Krishna rivers are linked as being planned with Andhra Pradesh government, even Jurala will receive water from Srisailam reservoir, he said. The Chief Minister also addressed the questions being raised by some over the cost of electricity to provide irrigation in the State. “People ask why spend so much on power? Whether it is Rs 5,000 crore or Rs 15,000 crore we will spend what is needed to provide irrigation to Telangana’s farmers,” he said.

He said the first phase of the PRLIP will see water coming to Karivena then to Uddandapur, Laxidevipalli and to Vikarabad and the works will be completed in two phases in about two years. “People also had doubts about Mission Bhagiratha but we have shown that it can be done. We will keep the people of Palamuru in our hearts. As the Chief Minister, I give you this assurance,” he said.