The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Jalayagnam: 41 projects to completed be in 2 years

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 20, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Jalayagnam: 41 projects to completed be in 2 years

Special Correspondent

Additional ayacut of 44 lakh acres to be created, says Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah

Jalayagnam will continue to get top priority: Ponnala
Another 22 projects will be completed by 2014: Minister

HYDERABAD: The State government has finalised a plan of action to complete as many as 41 irrigation projects of Jalayagnam programme in the next two years and bring an additional ayacut of 44 lakh acres under the plough.

Eighty-five per cent of the work on 16 projects has been completed. A huge amount of money -- Rs. 14,500 crore -- will be infused to complete them.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Major Irrigation Minister P. Lakshmaiah said after Chief Minister K. Rosaiah reviewed the progress of projects and inter-State water issues that Jalayagnam would continue to get top priority. He announced that another 22 projects would be completed by 2014 and irrigation provided to 29 lakh acres. Although all these projects need a whopping sum of Rs. 39,000 crore for completion, funds would not pose a problem. He said the government was trying to simultaneously get Central funds. Denying that Jalayagnam was being neglected, Mr. Lakshmaiah said during the fist seven months of the fiscal, the sum spent on the projects touched Rs. 9,500 crore. Bills were cleared to tune of Rs. 1,365 crore for November alone.

The overall spending on Jalayagnam projects so far reached Rs. 48,750 crore, although bills were yet to be cleared for Rs. 4,200 crore.

The Minister said during his meeting with Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal at Delhi, the latter spoke of “steps taken to give national status to Polavaram and initial clearance to Pranahita-Chevella.” Mr. Bansal also said he would call for a meeting of officials of AP, Karnataka and Maharashtra to resolve the issues pertaining to structures built across the Krishna.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh