The Hindu : More funds for lift schemes

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 18, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Nizamabad

More funds for lift schemes

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, JAN. 17. The Minister for Major Irrigation, Kadiam Srihari, on Saturday, said the Government was willing to provide another Rs. 50 crores for the early completion of the Guthpa and Alisagar lift irrigation schemes. Once completed the schemes will irrigate about 90,000 acres under the Nizamsagar tailend ayacut in three Assembly constituencies.

Mr. Srihari, accompanied by the Minister for School Education, Mandava Venkateswara Rao, the Minister for Technical Education, Nerella Anjaneyulu, the District Collector, D.V. Raidu and the Joint Collector, G. Venkatram Reddy, inspected the ongoing civil works of the two schemes in Nandipet and Navipet mandals.

The three ministers along with irrigation and APTRANSCO officials first visited Nandipet mandal headquarters to inspect the gravity canal work on the Guthpa LI scheme and then proceeded to Dharmora village where the major irrigation tank is located. Later, they visited Bharatnagar and Tadbilloli tandas, where the Alisagar LI civil works are on.

The ministers, on returning to Nizamabad town, convened a meeting of irrigation and APTRANSCO officials at the Pragati Bhavan conference hall to review the progress of the works. They sought a status report on the ongoing works from officials of both irrigation and APTRANSCO. Mr. Srihari issued necessary instructions to the officials to expedite the works and not hesitate in asking for more funds.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Mr. Srihari, said in all Rs. 12 crores has been allocated to the two schemes of which around Rs. 5 crores have been spent. He said the officials were supposed to spend another Rs. 7 crores by the end of the financial year.

He said once this amount was spent, the Government was willing to sanction another Rs. 50 crores to expedite the works. He expressed satisfaction that the works were on schedule. He instructed the officials to maintain the time frame and complete the works before the deadline.

Mr. Srihari reviewed the on going LI schemes separately and issued necessary instructions. Stating that the Government was committed to developing irrigation facilities across the State, Mr. Srihari, maintained that about Rs. 3,000 crores were going to be spent this year to develop 5 lakh additional ayacut acres.

He said as against the financial outlay of Rs. 2,200 crores for the irrigation sector, the Government was planning to spend Rs. 3,000 crores. The Government raised irrigation bonds, which have fetched about Rs. 430 crores. The plan is to raise bonds worth Rs. 1,000 crores, he added.

The Irrigation Minister asserted that the Government has allocated more funds to develop irrigation facilities in Telangana when compared to the other two regions. He said the Government would not hesitate to pump in more funds to develop irrigation sources. He said Nizamabad was allocated the highest sum of Rs. 150 crores for the minor and medium LI schemes.

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