ALL EARS: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy with TDP leader and former minister Kotagiri Vidyadhara Rao at a function in Eluru.

ELURU: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Sunday said the State Government would ensure that the Indira Sagar Project, which was stalled nearly a year ago for want of clearances from the Centre, would overcome all the legal hurdles within a month.

Dr. Reddy was addressing a press conference here after a marathon review meeting on the progress of various government schemes that lasted for more than six hours. He said the Centre was likely to accord all the clearances for the project within a month and facilitate restoration of the project work.

He said that the State Government had decided to find out a lasting solution for the problem of submergence in Orissa and Chattisgarh in view of the project by strengthening the Godavari river bunds at a cost of Rs. 700 crores. "I hope this package would allay fears among neighbouring states about the project and accelerate the process of issuing clearances by the agencies concerned,'' he said.

LI scheme

The Government was contemplating construction of a lift scheme across the Indira Sagar Right Bank Canal as part of the Indira Sagar project to irrigate one lakh acres in five upland mandals in Chintalapudi and one mandal each in Ungutur and Denduluru Assembly segments.

He said the Government would initiate the Rs. 550-crore Godavari delta modernisation programme on February 9 by inviting tenders for strengthening of the river bunds for a stretch of 409 kms in East and West Godavari districts.

The Chief Minister said the State Government was considering a proposal to set up Horticulture University at Tadepalligudem and it was likely to become functional from the next academic year.

He hoped that the proposed university would give an impetus to horticulture crops in upland tracts in Krishna, West and East Godavari districts.

Poor show

Dr. Reddy expressed his unhappiness over the `poor show' by the district administration in executing various schemes in the district, especially the Indiramma housing and Rajiv Yuva Sakti programmes. The manner in which SRI cultivation was being promoted in the district also hardly cheered him.

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