Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday promised to divert 100 tmcft of water from Pattiseema lift-irrigation project to the Srisailam reservoir through Pothireddipadu head regulator and complete all the irrigation projects to drive away drought from Kurnool district.
Mr. Naidu, who took part in Neeru-Chettu programme in Kuruvalli in Alur mandal in Kurnool district, operated a poclain and launched desilting of a minor irrigation tank. He also launched works on borewell recharge structures, Panta Sanjeevini farm ponds and soak pits. He inaugurated a check dam and performed bhoomi pooja for another.
Addressing a public meeting at Kuruvalli village inhabited by 232 families, Mr. Naidu announced sanction of Rs. 2 crore for irrigating 5,000 acres from Alur branch canal under Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi project. Efforts were on to irrigate 4,800 acres by spending Rs. 32 crore on Nagaradona reservoir. Directing irrigation engineers to commence work on Vedavathi lift-irrigation project, Mr. Naidu assured sanction of Rs. 600 crore for it.
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In Kuruvalli, 242 farm ponds were sanctioned and work was in progress on 78 of them. If borewell recharge structures were completed, 2,138 acres can be irrigated, he said. Launch desilting of tanks and conserve water to mitigate the drought effect, he added. Stating that the district reeled under severe drought for three years during the last four years, he promised release of water to KC Canal.
Loans of DWCRA woman to the tune of Rs. 3,200 crore were waived in the first phase, and Rs. 3,000 would be disbursed to each DWCRA group, the Chief Minister said. The government was ensuring round the clock power supply. He promised a deer park in Alur soon. The Chief Minister administered a pledge to conserve water and handed over a cheque for Rs. 6 crore to waive loans of 2,400 horticulture farmers to District Collector Ch. Vijayamohan.
Later addressing a Neeru Pragathi meeting at VJR Convention Centre at Dinnedevarapadu in Kurnool, Mr. Naidu said he would ensure that AP surpassed Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra in terms of horticultural growth.
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He assured to develop Rayalaseema as a horticulture hub. While agricultural crops were raised on 85 lakh acres, horticultural crops grown in 10 per cent of the area were fetching higher revenue, he said.
Promising Krishna-Pennar river linkage, he said his goal was to network all the rivers in the State. He announced Rs. 30 crore for constructing sub-surface dams in Papaghni river, as they were cost-effective. All the irrigation project canals would be desilted right from Guru Raghavendra project to KC Canal, Telugu Ganga project, Srisailam Right Branch Canal, Tungabhadra Low-Level Canal, Galeru Nagari, Handri Neeva and Alur branch canal and there was no dearth of funds, he asserted.
A crop that withers away causing loss of Rs. 20,000 per acre can be saved by spending Rs. 1,000 and digging farm ponds, he said. Kurnool was the worst-hit rainfall deficient district with 27 per cent deficient rainfall in south-west monsoon and 54 per cent in north-east monsoon, Mr. Naidu said.
Deputy Chief Minister K.E. Krishnamurthy, A.P. Legislative Council Chairman A. Chakrapani, Labour Minister K. Atchan Naidu, Irrigation Minister D. Umamaheswara Rao, Agriculture Minister P. Pulla Rao, Zilla Parishad chairman M. Rajasekhar Goud, and others participated in the programme.
My goal is to network all rivers in the State, says the Chief
Minister promising
Krishna-Pennar linkage