Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that farming in the State will be made more profitable as 40 minor and major irrigation projects would be dedicated to the people by February next.
Addressing a public meeting after performing ‘jalasiri ki harathi’ at the Krishnaveni pushkar ghat near the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, Mr. Naidu said he had taken up interlinking of rivers to protect the interests of all the three regions of the State.
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The interlinking of the Godavari and the Krishna, and the Godavari and the Penna would bring all-round prosperity to the delta, Rayalaseema, and north coastal regions, he said.
Mr. Naidu vowed that he would bring water from the Godavari to the Nagarjuna Sagar right canal and ensure that the flood water was not discharged into the sea.
Tenders for the prestigious project would be called for soon and work would start in two months.
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A massive barrage would be built at Vaikuntapuram on the Krishna in the first phase of the project.
“Projects such as Nagarjuna Sagar have taken 12 years to complete. But we are completing Polavaram in just four years. We have completed the Pattiseema LI scheme by pumping the flood waters from the Godavari into the Krishna before the Krishna Pushkarams. We have started 57 irrigation projects across the State. Projects such as the Handri-Neeva and Thotapalli are being taken up, and so far we have spent ₹58,000 crore on the irrigation projects alone,” said Mr. Naidu.
LI scheme launched
Earlier, Mr. Naidu inaugurated the Anupu-Koppanuru Lift Irrigation scheme, and said the scheme designed to irrigate 5,000 acres of parched lands in Macherla and Gurazala Assembly constituencies would be further augmented to meet the drinking water requirements of Durgi mandal.
The Varikipudisila Lift Irrigation project would also be augmented to meet the drinking water requirements of Macherla segment.
Mr. Naidu, who appeared buoyed by the sight of gushing waters at the pushkar ghat, said the reservoirs at Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar were brimming with water for the first time in four years.
Farmers cultivating under the NSP ayacut could now go for cultivation of paddy, cotton and chilli, he said.
An all-religion prayer was held at the ghat, and later Mr. Naidu offered silk sari and other material to the waters at the ghat.
Ministers D. Umamaheswara Rao, P. Pulla Rao, and N. Ananda Babu; MLAs G.V. Anjaneyulu and Y. Srinivasa Rao; and Collector K. Sasidhar were present.