Khammam: Bhakta Ramadas lift irrigation project another Vemsoor, says BJP

Khammam: There is doubt if the Bhakta Ramadas lift irrigation project would meet the same fate of the Vemsoor lift irrigation project in Sattupalli. The unavailability of water from the NSP reservoir and Palair reservoir for the last 10 years seems to be reason behind the doubt.

The Vemsoor lift irrigation project was planned to lift water from  Bethupalli tank in Sattupalli and provide irrigation water to drought-prone Vemsoor mandal. The government spent Rs 21 crore between 1999 and 2004 on the project.

As per the riparian rights , the farmers of Palair channel were supposed to get the water first, and about 16,429 acres in Kusumanchi and Nelakondapalli was to be irrigated by using 1.5 tmcft water of Palair reservoir, whose capacity is 2.5 tmcft.

The water release from Nagarjunasagar reservoir to the second zone of the left canal has dropped to 50 per cent in the last 10 years. The government is unable to irrigate the entire area under the lift irrigation scheme now. The government has proposed to take 4 tmcft of water from Palair reservoir to extend drinking water to over 45 mandals in Khammam, Mahabu-babad and Suryapet districts.

Meanwhile, the government proposes to build another lift irrigation project in the name of saint Bhakta Ramadas to irrigate 60,000 acres in four mandals in Khammam district. It is planned to draw 6 tmcft of water from Palair for the purpose. Political parties, particularly the BJP, have warned that the government that it was not following a pragmatic approach.

BJP state secretary Kondapalli Sridhar Reddy said,  “The Ramadas project will be useless and  a waste of public money. We are not against the project, but there is no scientific approach to it. Palair farmers and farmers of second zone of NSP left canal will be affected.”

He said the proposal of the government was to bring the Godavari water through the proposed Sitarama lift irrigation project but it would be another futile exercise.
The Godavari lift irrigation scheme was redesigned thrice and the tender process had not commenced.