Govt. to develop Lingam Cheruvu as a tourist spot

The State government would construct a Lift Irrigation (LI) scheme at a cost of Rs. 5 crore near Brahmaiah Lingam Cheruvu in the mandal to supply water to the tank, according to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

Mr. Naidu took part in the Neeru-Chettu programme at Brahmaiah Lingam tank in Chikkavaram village near here on Friday by kick-starting desiltation of the tank.

He said that the government had plans to develop the tank and its environs into a tourist spot apart from providing water for drinking and irrigation to the nearby villages. The government would denotify a portion of forestland abutting the tank to develop it as a tourist destination. The tank is just 12 km from the Gannavaram airport. People living in the Capital city would come here on weekends, he said.

Rainwater harvesting

Stressing the need to harness every drop of rainwater, Mr. Naidu said the tanks in the State would be revived. The ancestors and kings dug chain of tanks knowing the importance of water and civilization associated with it.

There were many tanks which were connected to Brahmaiah Lingam cheruvu. Revival of these chain of tanks would solve the irrigation and drinking water problem in the area, he said.

Gannavaram MLA Vallabhaneni Vamsi said that water Kumphini vaagu used to be good source of water for the tank. The drain shrunk over a period of time and encroachments have come up on tank bed and on catchment area. As many as 15 villages and 50,000 to 60,000 people were dependent on the tank, he said.

Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Agriculture Minister Prattipati Pulla Rao, Machilipatnam MLA Konakalla Narayana, Former MLA Dasari Balavaradhana Rao, ZP Chairperson Gadde Anuradha, Telugu Rythu leader Chalasani Anjaneyulu and others were present.