Speakers attending an all-party meeting organised to discuss expediting of works of Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project and grounding the works of Nakkalagandi reservoir, have urged the Telangana government to sanction the funds required to complete the remaining tunnel works and to ground Nakkalagandi.
Addressing the gathering, Telangana Retired Engineers Forum (TREF) general secretary Mereddy Shyamprasad Reddy appealed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to release funds required to complete 44 km. long SLBC tunnel project. He said the Rs. 1,920 crore worth project tenders were bagged by Jaiprakash Associates Limited in 2005 but the works were stalled as the engineering firm is demanding payments according to the increased expenditures besides sanctioning of some pending bills.
Mr. Reddy said though the Jaiprakash Associates had agreed to complete the project by 2010, it was delayed because the successive Seemandhra rules delayed payments to the project intentionally. About Rs 1,150 crore have already have been paid to the contractor, he said.
“The Nakkalagandi reservoir, meant to store the water pumped from SLBC tunnel project after SLBC's completion, also needs Rs 630 crore,” he said.
He urged the government to sanction funds to SLBC tunnel and Nakkalagandi reservoir to complete the works within five years to bring 3.50 lakh acres, which includes 50,000 acres in Mahabubnagar district, under cultivation.
Saying that the TRS had promised to bring one lakh acres under cultivation in each Assembly constituency, Mr. Reddy said the completion of SLBC and Nakkalgandi reservoirs realises this promise in Munugode, Deverakonda and Kalawakurthy constituencies.
CPI (M) general secretary Nanndyala Narasimha Reddy, CPI leaders Palla Venkat Reddy, Devarakonda MLA Ravindra Kumar, BJP State treasurer Gangidi Manohar Reddy, Rythu Sangham leader Nellikanti Satyam, Jala Sadhana Samithi founder Dusharala Satyanarayana, Fluorosis Vimukthi Porta Samithi (FVMS) convenor Kanchukatla Subhash and others also spoke.
