Telangana: Doubts over cost of Ramdas Lift Irrigation Project

Khammam: Lack of accountability and transparency over the cost escalation of Bhakta Ramadas Lift Irrigation scheme has given rise to many doubts on the estimates of the project. No effort from the government has been made to clear the doubts on the cost escalation.

The project was designed at a cost of Rs 90.87 crore to lift the water from Palair Reservoir and it is the figure given by the government during laying of the foundation stone by the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. It is designed to irrigate 59,000 acres of the lands in Tirumalayapalem, Khammam Rural, Mudigonda, Nelakondapalli and Kusumanchi mandals in Khammam district and Dornakal in Mahbubabad district.

It is estimated that 21 MW water is required to lift 5.5 tmc water from Palair Reservoir in various stages. Minister for road and buildings Tummala Nageswara Rao announced that the cost of the project will be around Rs 590 crore. The statement was made four months back in the presence of collector Lokesh Kumar.  

Minister for irrigation T. Harish Rao, who visited the project two months ago, stated that the cost of the project is around Rs 600 crore. There is no attempt to explain why the cost has escalated so many times in a medium irrigation project.
The officials erected the motors and pipelines brought to the Dummugudem Lift Irrigation Project, was redesigned later in the Bhakta Ramadas Project. The cost of the motors and pipelines were not explained at any stage and why they were used. Opposition parties made various allegations on the cost of the project.

Chief engineer of irrigation department N. Sudhakar informed that the cost of the project is around Rs 335 crore. He said, “The cost of the project was increased to Rs 125 crore from Rs 90 crore due to redesign of the project.”

He said that the motors worth Rs 32.44 crore, were brought from Rajiv Sagar lift irrigation project. The pipes, numbering 5,500 of 2.5 metre diametre, costing Rs 163 crore, were used. Interestingly, the government has not maintained clarity over the cost of the project at any stage.  The details were given only after Opposition parties raised questions about it.