Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed the Water Resources department to prepare operational guidelines for all projects across the State and ensure their implementation on timely basis so that water stored in them can be harnessed for fulfilling the farmers’ aspiration of two crops a year.
The Chief Minister wanted the officials concerned to complete the construction of all major projects like Tupakulagudem and Dummugudem barrage of Sitarama project expeditiously drawing inspiration from Kaleshwaram project which is completed within the time lines set. The Chief Minister on Tuesday visited Lakshmi Barrage of Kaleshwaram project, constructed at Medigadda to inspect the project and review the progress of works.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by his wife Shoba, visited the Kaleshwaram temple and offered prayers before arriving at Medigadda where they offered prayers to Godavari river. The Chief Minister expressed happiness that Kaleshwaram has been completed and water is being pumped uninterrupted as planned. He complimented the Water Resources department officials, staff of the line departments and working agencies for their efforts in completing the project on fast track.
The officials concerned should take steps to fill tanks and reservoirs this summer with the water stored through Kaleshwaram project where barrages reached full levels. The project, he recalled, was the first priority of the government to ensure that decades-long hardships of farmers were solved once and for all and water was provided in adequate measure for two crops.
Accordingly, plans were drawn up to construct barrage at a point downstream after the merger of Pranahita with the Godavari where more water could be stored and could be pumped to downstream projects for more time. Reputed agency WAPCOS was entrusted with the technical survey and it zeroed in on Medigadda for construction of barrage.
It was proposed that construction of barrage at Medigadda to a height of 100 metres would enable storage of 16.17 tmcft of water and this could be pumped for seven months a year. The plans were fructifying with 16.17 tmfct being stored at a height of 99.7 metres enabling pumping of water without interruption. Construction of the barrage had also ensured that there was live storage of water for 54 kms in Pranahita and 42 kms in Godavari throughout the year.
The Chief Minister said steps would be taken to pump water from Medigadda to Yellampalli, Mid and Lower Manair, Mallannasagar, Kondapochamma sagar, Baswapur and Gandhamalla reservoirs every year. Arrangements were being made to pump Kaleshwaram water to Nizamsagar and if need be, to SRSP too. The project had redrawn the irrigation map of Telangana and the government was committed to complete all the major projects in a time bound manner to end the hardships of farmers.
Ministers Koppula Eshwar, Gangula Kamalakar and E. Dayakar Rao, government’s chief adviser Rajiv Sharma, Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP M. Mahender Reddy, Water Resources department principal secretary Rajat Kumar and host of MLAs and elected representatives were present.
