The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Project as planned: Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Project as planned: Minister

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, OCT. 5. The Minister for Major Irrigation, P.Laxmaiah, on Tuesday asserted that the location of the Pulichintala project would not be changed despite the objections raised by the TRS chief, K.Chandrasekhar Rao.

Technical opinion was in favour of the spot and it would be better for the TRS chief to check his words.

Beneficial to Telangana

The Minister also asked Mr.Rao to get his arithmetic right on the submergence problem. It would affect five villages fully and two partially in Guntur district and two villages completely and three partially in Nalgonda, he added.

In all 11,077 acres in Guntur and 18,000 acres in Nalgonda would be submerged.

Contrary to the claims of the TRS, the project would immensely benefit Telangana region, he said. The quantum of water stored in the balancing reservoir would lead to additional storage in Nagarjunasagar so as to benefit the ayacut under its Left Canal, he added. This might be to the tune of 40 tmcft, he said.

The claim that lime stone quarries would be submerged in 3,985 acres was also false, he said, as the extent would only be 472 acres.

The quarries had been leased out till 2009 but speedier exploitation of the mines would be effected, he said. An excellent rehabilitation package was also on the anvil, he said allaying fears in this regard.

Many new projects

The Congress Government had drawn up a time-bound programme to develop 27 lakh acres of ayucut in Telangana alone in the next five years, he said. Out of 58 packages devised, 38 projects were related to Telangana and that should put to rest any doubts regarding the Government commitment to the welfare of the region, he said.

Asking the TDP and the TRS to stop "political blackmail," the Minister said it would not distract the Government from its chosen path of rural development.

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