35 lakh acres of new ayacut will be created in five years: Uttam

Along with minister for roads and buildings Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, he formally released water to the left canal of Nagarjunasagar by pressing a control board button at Pottichelma.

Later, addressing a media conference he said that the state government has allocated Rs 22,500 crore for the irrigation sector in the 2024-25 Budget. About 35 lakh acres of new ayacut would be created in five years, he said.

In addition to completing the pending irrigation projects, existing projects and lift irrigation schemes would be brought into maximum capacity utilisation, he added.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that works like SLBC tunnel, Uhaya Samudram, Dindi and Nellikal lift irrigation schemes and Pialaipally canal would be completed on priority. As per the promise made by the Congress, lift irrigation schemes would also be taken up in Devarakonda Assembly constituency, he added. The storage capacity of Gandamalla reservoir would be reduced to 1.5 tmc ft and tenders would soon be called for award of those works.

The irrigation minister alleged that the sector was struck in a crisis due to the fraudulent policies of the BRS government during its 10 years rule. It had brought Rs 1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram scheme, which added to the debt-burden to obnoxious levels, he said.

The Congress government has to pay Rs 10,825 crore every year towards capital expenditure and to complete works that were taken up by the BRS government by taking loans, he added.

He pointed out that the expert teams, which examined the Medigadda barrage, had blamed unscientific design, abysmal quality and poor operation maintenance for the sorry state-of-affairs.

“For the first time since the creation of Telangana, water was released early to Nagarjuna Sagar left canal to meet the kharif season requirements. NSP, which was constructed by the Congress government, is Telangana’s lifeline”, he added.

Venkat Reddy said that irrigation tanks would be filled with Krishna water through the A. Madhava Reddy Project canal, which would improve the ground water level in hundreds of villages in the district. The Congress government would complete SLBC tunnel works in three years and provide irrigation facility to an additional four lakh acres in the district, he said and added that works of lining of AMRP canal would be taken up soon.

MLC Teenmar Mallanna, MLAs B. Laxma Reddy and Kethavath Balu Naik, former minister Kunduru Jana Reddy, principal secretary (irrigation) Rahul Bojja, engineer-in-chief (irrigation) Anil Kumar and district collector C. Narayana Reddy also attended the programme.