Government sticks to its guns

eeping aside the Opposition parties’ dissent against plans to exclude the northern parts of Ranga Reddy district from Pranahitha-Chevella lift irrigation project, the Government of Telangana appears to be resolved to irrigate the lands with Palamuru-Rangareddy scheme with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao directing the officials to complete the survey work within two weeks.

Two days after the government created the project authority for Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) for its speedy implementation, the Chief Minister held a review on the project on Saturday and issued specific instructions to the authorities concerned to prepare designs immediately after the survey work.

He even specified the time limit of another two weeks for completing the process of tenders after preparation of designs so that works could be grounded at the earliest.

“Complete the project works in Mahabubnagar district in two years so that water could be given to the proposed ayacut there by constructing pump houses, canals, tunnels and reservoirs simultaneously,” Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao told the authorities. Giving water to the ayacut under Narlapur, Edula, Vattem, Karivena, Uddandapur and Hemasamudram reservoirs would prevent migration of labour from the district to a large extent, he felt.

The Chief Minister asked Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and C. Laxma Reddy, Vice Chairman of the State Planning Board S. Niranjan Reddy and other legislators to take the responsibility for speedy acquisition of land required for the project and directed district Collector T.K. Sridevi to ensure swift payment of compensation to lands, houses and other immoveable properties.

He told Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao to keep a tab on the progress of project works on daily-basis and asked the officials to take up survey work pertaining to the project components in Ranga Reddy district immediately after its completion in Mahabubnagar.

Official sources stated that a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey is being conducted for PRLIS with the equipment mounted on a truck, unlike the aerial one being done in case of projects based on Godavari river. The LiDAR survey was being done to ensure speedy designing of lifts, canals, tunnels and reservoirs, the sources said. It is stated that the PRLIS would cover Parigi, Chevella, Shadnagar, Vikarabad and other areas in Ranga Reddy district, which were planned to be covered under Pranahitha-Chevella earlier.

Chief Minister tells Harish Rao to keep a tab on the progress of project works on daily-basis