P V Narasimha Rao’s projects in North Telangana neglected

Nizamabad: Former Prime Minister late P.V. Narasimha Rao’s dream projects, begun two decades ago, for north Telangana region, are yet to be completed.

The negligence of people’s representatives of north Telangana and apathy of officials have had adverse results on prestigious projects like the new railway line from Peddapally to Nizamabad via Karimnagar and Flood Flow Canal (FFC) from Sriramsagar project to utilise River Godavari’s water.

Being the son of the soil, Narasimha Rao proposed these two prestigious projects in 1991 soon after he became PM. He laid the foundation stone for the 178 km Peddapally-Nizamabad railway line. But work has been tardy, at a snail’s pace and the railway line is yet to be completed. About a 28-km stretch between Kotarmoor and Nizamabad is under progress.

Narasimha Rao also set the foundation stone for the Flood Flow Canal of the SRSP in 1992.

This was to utilise 20 TMC of divertible water of SRSP for 2.20 lakh acres in drought prone areas of Karimnagar, Warangal and Nalgonda districts. An estimated initial cost of Rs 1,331.3 crore escalated but the work is yet to be completed.

Speaking to this newspaper, FFC superintending engineer Narasimha Rao said that construction of Mid-Manair dam in Boinpally of Karimnagar district will achieve the target of FFC. "For the last four years, we have been filling the Lower Manair Dam to stabilise Ayacut area of Sriramsagar Project,” he said.