The State government has increased the cost of Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLIP) and Indiramma Flood Flow Canal Project from Sriramsagar Project due to additional provisions and re-engineered cost proposals.
The SRLIP, which was initially proposed to irrigate an ayacut of five lakh acres in Khammam district at a cost of ₹ 7,926 crore, has now been redesigned for 6.74 lakh acres, including new ayacut of 3.28 lakh acres and stabilised ayacut of 3.45 lakh acres, in phase I alone.
Therefore, the government has given revised administrative approval for the project at a cost of ₹13,057 crore, a government order issued by Chief Secretary S.K. Joshi said.
The water proposed to be conveyed in the project’s main canal in the revised detailed project report (DPR) was 9,000 cusecs as against 4,545 cusecs in the preliminary report.
Due to increase of design discharge, all canal parameters such as bed width, capacities of pumping stations and widths of land acquisition are proportionately increased.
The land proposed to be acquired by the revised DPR was 7,402 hectares as against 5,800 hectares in preliminary report.
In the case of Indiramma Flood Flow Canal Project from Sriramsagar Project, the escalation in project cost was from ₹5,940 crore to ₹9,886 crore. The initial cost of ₹5,940 crore was approved by the technical advisory committee of the Central Water Commission in February 2016 but later revised by a State-level standing committee on re-engineered cost proposals.
