Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao laid the foundation stone for Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Project by unveiling a pylon here on Thursday with a vow to take up works only after providing jobs to the families to be displaced by the major components of the scheme.
“I will direct the District Collector to take up a special drive to provide a job each to every family to be displaced due to land acquisition for the project. The government’s plan is to bring water to the proposed ayacut at least till Karivena reservoir in two to three years,” the Chief Minister said, addressing a gathering immediately after laying the foundation stone.
In a significant decision, the Chief Minister also assured the families of three tribal habitations (tandas) to be displaced by the Karivena reservoir of providing alternative farmland under the same project, in lieu of their lands to be acquired for construction of the balancing reservoir. “I am asking you to cooperate with the government in the land acquisition process to drive away drought from the region,” he told the gathering.
He also assured the families to be displaced by Karivena reservoir of providing 2BHK houses at the relocated site. “We tried to keep the submergence/displacement as less as possible as part of our efforts to provide irrigation facilities,” he noted.
Palamuru-Ranga Reddy lift irrigation scheme is a major step forward towards the TRS government’s pre-poll promise of bringing a green revolution in Telangana by constructing new irrigation projects to utilise the rightful share of river waters, particularly in Krishna and Godavari basins.
The project being taken up with an estimated cost of Rs. 35,250 crore seeks to irrigate 10 lakh acres in the drought-prone areas of Mahabubnagar, Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda districts, besides providing water for drinking and industrial needs in and around Hyderabad.
It is planned to lift 90 tmc ft water from the foreshore of Srisailam reservoir during flood days at the rate of 1.5 tmc ft everyday. The Chief Minister assured them of creating irrigation facility under the project in Mahabubnagar district in the next four years.
“I will ask the officials to construct a guesthouse on one of these hillocks to supervise the project’s progress by inspecting works frequently,” he said.
Alternative land for families of three tribal habitations to be displaced under the project
