The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Debate on project goes off smoothly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 09, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Debate on project goes off smoothly

Staff Reporter

GCC chairperson stages protest

RAMPACHODAVARAM: The open debate near the Bhoopatipalem reservoir site here on Sunday went off smoothly, with the main opposition party, the Telugu Desam and the BJP, abstaining from it.

Representatives of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party got their doubts cleared. The ex-officio advisor, P. Sitapati Rao, and his associate engineering experts explained about the packages and the tender process involved in the medium irrigation project. The moderators were C.L.N. Sastry and Y. Lavakusa Reddy.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Sitapati Rao said the project across the Seethapalli vagu, a tributary to the Godavari, was aimed at benefiting 80 per cent of tribal land. The project, with 31.5 km canal system, will provide irrigation facility to 23,086 acres and drinking water to 45 tribal villages in Rampachodavaram mandal.

He said the Government was all set to finalise the single tender for the Rs.100.52-crore project next week and commence the main head works in 10 days.

The in-charge of the reservoir and Chief Engineer of Indirasagar project, M. Venkateswara Rao, who answered most of the questions, said the Government was keen on the rehabilitation package in respect of 458 acres that would submerge.

When the Samajwadi Party representative, Hari Mohan, questioned the necessity of the reservoir in an area like Rampachodavaram where rainfall is high, the Chief Engineer said that the rainfall in the district was not uniform.

Mr. Sitapati Rao, who intervened, said that check dams over the Seetapalli Vagu would irrigate only 100 to 200 acres and would not serve the purpose.

The Congress representative and former Chief Engineer, A. Rameswara Rao, wanted development of the tribal land along the reservoir.

However, the GCC Chairperson and former MLA, T. Ratnabai, staged a dharna in front of the main entrance of the ITDA building for not allowing her to represent about tribals who were going to lose their lands.

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