Funds delay hits reservoir works

Hyderabad: The Metropolitan Water Board has acquired half the land needed for the 10 tmc ft reservoir project at Keshavapuram to store water for the city and requires Rs 438 crore immediately to pay compensation to landowners, complete forest clearancea and build the water treatment plant.

The board has taken possession of 1,585 acres of government land and it has to take over patta lands worth Rs 288 crore and endowment land worth Rs 111 crore after paying compensation to the owners. It has also acquired forest land worth Rs 39 crore that requires to cleared.

The board needs a total of Rs 826 crore from the government to pay compensation. The delay in the government giving sanction has slowed the pace of work.

According to a report submitted to the government, the Water Board has given the land for peg-marking for the bund alignment for 4.7 km with a base width of 300 metres. It has expedited the transfer of endowment lands to construct the water treatment plant in 185 acres. 

The board has taken consensus for acquiring patta lands in Keshavapuram and Yakutpura while the process remains to be carried out for 495 acres in Ponnala and Bommarsipet. The board is yet to acquire 505 acres government assigned land.

The Water Board is yet to receive the feasibility report from the forest department for Jagityal (281 acres) and Yadadri (580 acres) districts. Another 234 acres of forest land needs to be acquired in Suryapet district that has been pending with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF).

A senior Water Board official said the Water Board immediately required Rs 111 crore for constructing the water treatment plant on endowment land, '39 crore to get the first stage forest clearance and '288 crore for compensation for patta land acquisition and 50 per cent assigned lands.

“On the whole, the board has to pay Rs 139.07 crore to clearance and for taking over the forest land, '323 crore for paying compensation to owners for patta lands, '253 crore for paying compensation for government assigned lands and '111 crore for acquiring endowment land. The project requires '826 crore for land acquisition. As of now we need '438 crore to pay compensation to government departments and landowners,” the official said. 

He said that the board had taken possession of government lands, taken consensus from private land owners, persons residing in assigned land, endowment department and forest department. 

However, the official said, the project would not see any progress until the sanction of funds from the government. When asked about the status of funds released by the government, the officials refused to comment on the issue.