Telangana Retired Engineers Association (TREA) has criticised the misinformation campaign being run against Kaleshwaram project by certain political sections and others. The body of professionals has also stated that the apprehensions about the cost increase and progress of works are unfounded and baseless.
Speaking to newspersons here on Tuesday, several functionaries of the association felt that a concerted effort was being made to create doubts among people on the efficacy of the project by raising issues about cost and pace of works. Secretary of the association M. Shyam Prasad Reddy said there was no other major irrigation project in the country that matches the progress achieved by Kaleshwaram in a span of just three years.
Stating that Kaleshwaram project, when completed fully, would be a bliss of Telangana, he said the attempts to dwarf its intended benefits were unfair.
P. Venkatrama Rao, who worked for Pranahitha-Chevella project and retired as chief engineer, said it was he who prepared a proposal to utilise water of Prahahitha after the confluence of Wardha and Wainganga rivers and a formal proposal was submitted to the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government in 2005 through Institution of Engineers.
Revised estimates
He explained that cost of the project when line estimate was done was ₹17,875 crore with plan to irrigate 12 lakh acres in 2005 and when the government asked for its extension till Chevella its cost had gone up to ₹38,500 crore for irrigating 16.4 lakh acres. When the revised estimates were prepared in 2010, the cost went up to ₹40,300 crore.
Keeping aside the Maharashtra’s opposition to Tummidihatti barrage with large submergence in its terriroty and Central Water Commission’s revised study that reduced the availability of water to 165.38 tmc ft (2015), including Maharashtra’s share of 63 tmc ft from 236.5 tmc ft (2010), the project even if implemented in its original shape would have cost over ₹65,000 crore.
The redesigned project with more than double the ayacut envisaged originally, 18.35 lakh acres new irrigation potential and stabilisation of existing 18.45 lakh acres would outweigh the initial project in every aspect even if its cost had gone up to ₹80,500 crore.
More beneficial
Kaleshwaram project would have storage capacity of 141 tmc ft in reservoirs in addition to over 50 tmc ft stored in three barrages against 11.43 tmc ft in Pranahitha-Chevella, he stated. The cost benefit ratio of Kaleshwaram at 1:1.51 was also higher compared to 1:1.43 of Pranahitha-Chevella. Other functionaries of TREA G. Chandramouli, Bhimaiah, R. Janardhan and Sambaiah said the apprehensions over energy charges as expressed by retired bureaucrat N. Jayaprakash Narayan of Lok Satta were also unfounded given the fact that farmers were now being given free power round-the-clock.