The long-awaited Penna barrage works are nearing completion with the arrangements being made for fixing crest gates soon so as to bring it into full utilisation by the public and the farmers in the surrounding areas of Nellore and other parts of the delta.
Begun in 2014, works costing ₹132 crore out of the total estimated cost of ₹149 crore had been completed.
The remaining works included erection of crest gates and other allied works, which are expected to be completed in one or two months.
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The barrage completion is considered crucial for not only enhancing the irrigation prospects of the farmers in the Penna delta but also to ensure free flow of traffic to the villages to the north of Nellore city. The length of the barrage has come to nearly 622 metres and is nearly the same when compared with the old barrage constructed during the British period. The old barrage was designed by Sir Arthur Cotton.