YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) candidate for the Nellore Lok Sabha constituency, V. Vijaya Sai Reddy, said that his top priorities include the completion of the Somasila High-Level Canal (HLC) and the Veligonda project, considered the lifeline for the upland mandals of the SPSR Nellore district.
Somasila HLC provides irrigation to about 45,000 acres of land and drinking water to 1.25 lakh people in the first phase and doubles the volume in terms of acreage and drinking water in the second phase. The project, once completed, will be a boon to Duttalur, Vinjamur, Udayagiri, Marripadu, Anantasagaram and Atmakur mandals, benefitting nearly 2.5 lakh people.
Similarly, the Veligonda project meets the irrigation needs of 4.47 lakh acres spread across Nellore, Prakasam and Kadapa districts and provides drinking water to 15 lakh people living in 30 mandals. Under this project, two major tunnels were constructed to reduce environmental impact on the Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR).
During his recent campaign in the drought-prone Udayagiri segment, Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy promised all-round development of the constituency. He promised to make the region fertile by bringing water from the two projects, which has so far not been materialised. Even the adjoining Atmakur constituency largely depends on Somasila HLC for its irrigation needs.
While opposition parties have been denouncing the YSRCP leader as a ‘non-local’ since his candidature was announced in Nellore, Mr. Vijaya Sai Reddy is learning to draw a road map to list out the problems plaguing the district, along with long-term solutions.
