Ministers Uttam, Venkat Reddy release water into Nagarjuna Sagar’s Left Canal
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, senior Congress leader K Jana Reddy, MLAs and MLCs released water from left canal for the command area of the Nagarjuna Sagar project that irrigates over 6.30 lakh acres benefiting farmers in Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts.
The Ministers offered flowers to the water gushing out from the dam into the canal as the farmers gathered there were elated. Later, Mr. Uttam Reddy announced that starting Saturday, Nalgonda and Suryapet districts, known for their paddy cultivation, would receive water in the first zone. The second zone, including Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts, would start receiving water next week. The water level in the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, which had dipped to a critical level of 500 feet a fortnight ago, was expected to reach the full reservoir level of 590 feet. The project had been receiving an inflow of 5.3 lakh cusecs, increasing its storage by over 40 tmcft of floodwater daily.
Mr. Reddy stated that in the next five years, the Congress government would create a new ayacut of 30-35 lakh acres, transforming the face of rural Telangana. An annual target of creating a new ayacut of 6 to 6.5 lakh acres had been set and would be achieved with total commitment.
The Minister alleged that the previous BRS government destroyed the irrigation sector in the last 10 years, spending nearly ₹1.85 lakh crore on irrigation projects with no significant results. An amount of ₹95,000 crore was spent on the Kaleshwaram project, which did not bring even 95,000 acres under cultivation, he said.
Similarly, ₹31,000 crore was spent on the Palamuru-Rangareddy project and ₹8,000 crore on the Sitharama project, but not even one acre of additional land was irrigated.
Speaking about the Nagarjuna Sagar project, he highlighted that it was constructed during the rule of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and strengthened by Indira Gandhi, providing irrigation to lakhs of acres and fulfilling drinking water needs. He contrasted it with the Kaleshwaram project under BRS rule, where he claimed thousands of crores of public money were wasted.
He also criticised BRS leaders for demanding the filling up of the Medigadda barrage, whose piers collapsed and were undergoing repairs under the directions of the National Dam Safety Authority. He said a judicial probe into the Kaleshwaram scam was ongoing and assured that stern action would be taken against all guilty persons.
The Minister informed that ₹22,500 crore were allocated in the budget for 2024-25 for the irrigation sector, with ₹10,820 crore to be spent on projects and the remaining amount on loan repayments, interest, and other works.
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