State invites Chinese firm to ‘lift’ its irrigation works

HYDERABAD: The team of Irrigation department officials, who were on a visit to China, urged the executives of the VEM Engineering Company which manufactures heavy electric machinery, in Shanghai, to set up their plant in Telangana as there will be requirement for heavy electric tools for the new State for its under-construction lift irrigation projects.

State government advisor (Irrigation Lifts) Penta Reddy, Officer on Special Duty (to Irrigation Minister) Sridhar Rao Deshpande, Genco engineer Vasudev, irrigation engineer-in-chief Anil Kumar and Navayuga representative Mallinath met the VEM deputy general manager Hongtao he in Shanghai.

VEM deputy general manager told the visiting Telangana team that the company had plans to start heavy electric manufacturing unit in India. Then, Penta Reddy and Deshpande, told the VEM deputy general manager that Telangana was the best state in India to start the heavy electric tools' manufacturing unit. They also explained the TS-iPASS to him and requested the VEM to contact the Telangana government.

VEM supplies heavy electric machinery to 86 counties ranging from 0.06 kilo watt to 42 MW capacity equipment. The EVM was started in Germany in 1886.

Penta Reddy told the Hongtao he that the TS government has taken up the construction of major lift irrigation schemes which required heavy electric machinery. "Before starting the VEM's plant in India, first start a service centre in TS," Penta Reddy suggested the EVM executives.

RRR funds released

Under the Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies (RRR) scheme, the Union Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) sanctioned 176 water bodies with an estimated cost of Rs 120.9 crore, of which Rs 72.30 crore is Central share and Rs 48.19 crore is State's share. This amount is under the fourth batch of funds, released to the State. The Central government already released the first instalment of Central share of Rs 21.69 crore on March 30. Proposal for according administrative sanction and release of funds of Rs 50.61 crore, in which the Central share is Rs 21.69 crore and the State share is Rs 28.92 crore is under process, according to a release by the Irrigation department on Monday

KLIS beats own record

Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project (KLIS) engineers have broken their own record of pouring cement concrete of 7,139 cubic metres in a single day by pouring 7,212 cubic metres of cement concrete on Monday.

State permits excavation at Koilsagar reservoir

The State government accorded administrative approval for excavation of gravity canal from foreshore of Koilsagar reservoir to feed Pedda Cheruvu of Devarakadra and Peddachervu of Chowdharpalli village in Devarakadra mandal in Mahabubnagar district. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 21.63 crore.  Irrigation special chief secretary SK Joshi issued orders to this effect on Monday