By Express News Service
HYDERABAD: Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) got two more permissions - Cost Appraisal and Irrigation Planning - on Tuesday. With this the project so far got nine clearances in a record one year time.
Central Water Commission (CWC) director Rajiv Kumar accorded cost appraisal approval and CWC's another director BC Vishwakarma gave irrigation planning permission. The copies of these orders were received by the Irrigation department on Tuesday.
Kaleshwaram, the State government's prestigious lift irrigation project, had already got seven permission in the earlier. All the key approvals which were required for the construction of the project without any hitches were already obtained. The cost appraisal and other permissions were not mandatory.
In the cost appraisal permission, the CWC director stated that "the cost of the project has been finalised for Rs 80,190.46 crore (at 29015-16 SOR rates). The total expenditure on the project is Rs 30,653.72 crore up to March, 2018.
The CWC further stated in the order that it was important to note that it was intimated through a letter to TS irrigation department by the CWC that the estimate should be realistic and need not to be revised in next three years at least. In response to this, the TS informed the CWC that the targeted dates of completion for the project components through its packages as December, 2018 as the latest.
In the Irrigation Planning clearance, the CWC stated that the water availability for the project as 240 tmc. "The revised simulation studies submitted for the year 1971-72 to 2011-12 have been examined and found to be in order. As per the revised simulation studies out of 41 years, the project is successful in meeting the proposed water demand under the project in 32 years and accordingly, the success rate of the project comes out as 78 per cent", the CWC stated.
THE PERMISSIONS GIVEN TO KALESHWARAM SO FAR
ToR for Environmental impact assessment report - March 31, 2017
Hydrological clearance (283 tmc with 75% dependability) - October 30, 2017
Inter-state clearance - November 3, 2017
Ground-water clearance - November 21, 2017
Construction and Machinery directorate - November 21, 2017
Ministry of Forest final clearance - November 24, 2017
Environmental final clearance - December 5, 2017
Irrigation Planning - April 13, 2018
Cost Appraisal - May 1, 2018.
SLAP IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION - HARISH RAO
With the Kaleshwaram project getting two more permissions, the elated Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said that it was a slap in the face of the Opposition. "The Opposition parties, especially the Congress, filed 197 cases in local courts to Supreme Court against Kaleshwaram. They stated dharnas and created disturbances at public hearings. Even then, the Opposition could not stop the construction of the Kaleshwaram," Harish Rao said on Tuesday. The Irrigation Minister thanked Union Water resources Minister Nitin Gadkari for according all the clearances for the Kaleshwaram in a speedy manner. "Kaleshwaram, which will change the lives of 2.5 crore people, is a prestigious project for the government," Harish Rao said. The Minister said that they created a record by getting nine permission in one year time.
