The Chitravathi Balancing Reservoir (CBR), a multi-purpose project, is set to impound water to its full capacity of 10 tmcft for the first time, this season. All this is now possible because the State government has released ₹240.52 crore as a one-time settlement to all project-affected and the online payment began on Wednesday. The project has originally been designed as the tail-end reservoir for Tungabhadra High Level Canal (HLC) with 4 tmcft allocation but never got more than 2 tmcft any year.
While the compensation for the lands and houses was being given from 2006 onwards in phases, the last time any payment was made was in 2009, when the installation of all the gates was completed after the installation process began in 2005. For the past week, the district administration has been working overtime to finalise the list of 1729 project-affected persons and served them Form-C notices, said District Collector Gandham Chandrudu.
While ₹49.2 crore was transferred on Wednesday (confirmed by the beneficiaries), ₹75 crore on Thursday another ₹20 crore on Friday would be paid. “The villagers are getting prepared to vacate their houses within the next week to 10 days so that impounding of water could be taken up immediately,” said Mr. Chandrudu. Currently, the CBR (named after the first MLA of Pulivendula Penchikala Basireddy, the PBR) has 6.5 tmcft and about 2,800 cusecs of floodwater was being let out as impounding would inundate four villages in Anantapur district.
When Government Order was issued recently releasing the amount for the final settlement for the loss of houses and structures due to inundation in Marrimakulapalli, Chinnachagalarevu, Raghavapalli, and Peddachagalarevu villages, several issues cropped up regarding the quantum of compensation, and all those were amicably settled and ₹10 lakh was being given every loser. “There were some attempts at manipulating the Aadhaar data to become eligible for compensation as a major, but the alert district administration foiled them. Ssome people (22 of them), who were given Indiramma houses in the past, but no construction was taken up, also will get the full quantum of ₹10 lakh,” the Collector explained.
Major fillip
The project would be a major fillip to the six drinking water projects in Anantapur district some in Kadapa district in addition to irrigating 1.05 lakh-acre ayacut, project Executive Engineer Urandur Rajasekhar told The Hindu. Out of this only 5,000 acres is in Yellanur mandal of Anantapur district, while the rest is in Pulivendula in Kadapa district. Three fishermen societies having 500 members from both districts operate in this reservoir and export tonnes of quality fish. Dharmavaram, Puttaparthi, Pulivendula, Dharmavaram Rural, Kadiri Town and Rural drinking water projects get water from this.
“Once the floodwater flow from Chitravathi ceases, a five-stage 1,500-cusecs lift scheme from Gandikota Reservoir will fill the CBR bringing in Penna and Krishna water to this project,” Mr. Rajasekhar said.