The failed crest gate of the Musi Project would be replaced within 48 hours, and all repairs to the nearly six-decade-old dam would be completed by October 9, Minister for Energy G. Jagadish Reddy said on Sunday.
The crest gate number 5 of the project, which was rusted, moved away from its locking position on Saturday leading to discharge of 645 tmc ft of water into the river.
On Sunday, the Energy Minister visited the dam and reviewed the situation.
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He along with Secretary in Chief Minister’s Office Smita Sabharwal, and irrigation officials, who reached the dam site, held a review of the damage and examined corrective measures. According to Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation) C. Muralidhar and his team, the gate failure was the result of a mismatch between the relatively new gate and the grooved fixture as old as the dam.
Mr. Muralidhar also recalled that five gates specially designed for the Musi Project in 1991 were kept at the Kalyani Dam in Tirupati. He suggested that the three unused gates can be transported here and installed. The review led by the Energy Minister decided for the installation of gates and said the same would be completed within 48 hours.
Allaying fears of farmers, Mr. Jagadish Reddy said a water release schedule was being worked out, and assured that all farmers in the 30,000 acre ayacut along the right and left bank canals in Nalgonda and Suryapet would get sufficient water for irrigation.
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Suryapet District Collector D. Amoy Kumar, his Nalgonda counterpart Gaurav Uppal, a host of leaders including Rajya Sabha member B. Lingaiah Yadav, Nakrekal and Nalgonda legislators C. Lingaiah and K. Bhupal Reddy respectively, were present at the review meeting.