Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has stated that his Government will spend a hefty Rs. 22,500 crore for revival and restoration of minor irrigation systems over the next five years.
Speaking at a State-level workshop on minor irrigation at JNTU, Kukatpally here on Thursday, he alleged that the sector was systematically destroyed in the united AP dispensation since 1956 as most of Telangana was depending upon tank irrigation system heavily till then.
It was shocking that there was not even an SE's post sanctioned to Mahabubnagar district that had over 7,000 irrigation tanks and explained the extent of neglect the sector had suffered in combined AP, he noted. Elaborating his plans for revival of the minor irrigation sector the Chief Minister said over 9,000 tanks would be restored every year to cover 45,300 identified tanks in five years.
He directed the officials to release Rs 20 crore for purchase of survey instruments for preparing estimates for restoration of tanks. Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, Home Minister N. Narasimha Reddy, Irrigation Principal Secretary S.K. Joshi, Irrigation Advisor R. Vidyasagar Rao, Engineer in Chief Muralidhar and other were present