The inauguration of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Friday set off grand celebrations by TRS activists across the district, which also stands to gain from the mega irrigation project.
The KLIP is expected to stabilise the existing ayacut of little over 75,000 acres spread in 58 villages across five mandals of the district by supplying Godavari waters through canal system under SRSP stage-II, sources said. The prestigious ₹80,500-crore project has been designed to irrigate over 37 lakh acres of new and existing ayacut spanning 21 districts in the State.
Five mandals, including Tirumalayapalem, Kusumanchi, Nelakondapalli and Khammam rural in Palair Assembly constituency and Mudigonda mandal in Madhira Assembly constituency in Khammam district, would be benefited, the sources added. The TRS cadres took out a motorbike rally in Khammam on Friday afternoon in connection with the successful inauguration of the KLIP.
The TRS local leaders and elected representatives distributed sweets at the party district office to celebrate the occasion. Similar programmes were organised by the ruling party cadre in Kothagudem, Sattupalli, Madhira, Palvancha and elsewhere in the erstwhile undivided Khammam district.
Special rituals were performed at Sri Sitaramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam.
Water to Singur
SANGAREDDY Special Correspondent adds: The inauguration of the project was celebrated by the ruling TRS across the erstwhile Medak district. Siddipet MLA and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao participated in the celebrations at Ranganaik Sagar.
At Husnabad, MLA V. Satish Kumar and others participated in the celebrations, while at Mirdoddi, MLA S. Ramalinga Reddy; at Chinna Shankarampet, MLA Padma Devender Reddy; at Sangareddy, former MLA Chinta Prabhakar and former MLC R. Satyanrayana celebrated the occasion. With the inauguration of the project, about 20 tmc ft of Godavari water would be diverted to Singur reservoir from Kondapochamma reservoir.
The Kondapochamma reservoir is being built with an estimated cost ₹4,000 crore with a storage capacity of 15 tmc ft. More than 95% of the work has been completed and in a few months, the reservoir would be filled with Godavari water. A 138-km long canal would be constructed from Pamulaparthi in Markook mandal to Mahabubsagar near Kalabgoor in the district headquarters. About ₹1,326 crore would be spent on digging the canal for which tenders have already been called. The work is expected to commence shortly. Over one lakh acres would be irrigated once the construction of the canal is completed. Mulugu and Wargal in Siddipet district, Toopran, Veldurthi, Shivampet, Kowdipally and Narsapur in Medak district, Sangareddy, Kandi, Jinnaram and Patancheru mandals would be covered through this canal. In addition, the package 19 would end at Korpol in Pulkal mandal. It would lift about 20 tmc ft from there to Singur. This would irrigate one lakh acres each in Zaheerabad and Naryanakhed constituencies, a promise made by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao during his election campaign.
KAMAREDDY Special Correspondent adds: Collector N. Satyanarayana said with the completion of the project, an estimated 2.30 lakh acres can be irrigated and 4 to 5 lakh tonnes of paddy be produced in every season.
Participating in the celebrations organised jointly by Agriculture, Civil Supplies and Rural Development Departments at Mission Bhagiratha overhead tank on Mallannagutta in Sadasivanagar mandal on Friday, he said the project was a marvel as electric motors with a capacity of 139 megawatt each was being used to lift water.
The project would irrigate 45 lakh acres in two seasons in the State, he said.
