Government To Fast-Track Completion Of Sita Rama And Sitamma Sagar Projects: Uttam Kumar Reddy

· Dy CM Bhatti, Ministers Ponguleti and Tummala attend high-level review meeting at Jala Soudha

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday asserted that the Congress government was fully committed to completing the Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLIP) and the Sitamma Sagar Multi-Purpose Project (SSMPP) on a fast-track basis, as both projects are crucial to the future of irrigation and development in southern Telangana.

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The minister chaired a high-level review meeting at Jala Soudha in Hyderabad, attended by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, and senior officials from the Irrigation Department. Former Yellandu MLA Gummadi Narsaiah was also specially invited to the meeting to present local concerns.

Addressing the officials, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the completion of these long-pending irrigation projects would enable the government to provide assured irrigation water to nearly 7.80 lakh acres spread across Khammam, Bhadradri Kothagudem, and Mahabubabad districts. He recalled that during the previous government’s tenure, no allocation of water was made to the Sita Rama project. However, the present Congress government, within just 16 months in office, had convinced the Centre and the Central Water Commission (CWC) to allocate 67 TMC of Godavari river water for the project.

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Engineers gave a detailed presentation on the status of works and pending issues. They reported that 97% of the SRLIP’s main canal works had been completed, and three major pump houses had already undergone successful wet runs. The fourth pump house was under execution and expected to be completed soon. The Palair Link Canal, Sathupalli Trunk Canal, and Enkoor Link Canal were at various stages of progress, with some bottlenecks still remaining, particularly related to land acquisition, forest clearances, and structures near tunnels.

The minister took strong note of the delays and instructed officials to treat the matter with urgency. “This is the working season. Despite the constraints, you must move forward with full speed. We cannot afford any more delays,” he said. He directed that land acquisition should be expedited across all segments of the project, and that issues related to compensatory afforestation must be addressed without further back-and-forth.

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Uttam Kumar Reddy directed the senior officials to monitor all land and forest clearance-related issues by being physically present at the site on a daily basis. He also asked the engineering officials to personally brief him on the total cost, progress, and hurdles in land acquisition. “I want a complete picture – top to bottom – on land acquisition. You give me the figures, the process, and the plan, and I will take it up further,” he said.

The minister also asked for a note justifying priority payments to contractors and stakeholders, so that the matter could be placed before the Finance Department through proper channels. He emphasised the importance of regular follow-ups and said another review would be held in exactly one month to assess improvements.

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Speaking about the Sitamma Sagar project, the minister said the government was taking steps to secure pending environmental and forest clearances. He noted that some works were earlier taken up without approvals, and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had since issued a penalty of ₹53.41 crore. “We are preparing a legal strategy to get the penalty cancelled,” he said. He reiterated that the Sitamma Sagar project would also include a hydroelectric component and the government had submitted a 282.8 MW plan to TGGENCO, which was under process.

He instructed officials to closely monitor tunnel and canal works near Palair. A line diagram was reviewed during the meeting, and the minister questioned engineers on the exact points where water flow was getting obstructed. He was informed that a tunnel stretch involving around 80-90 acres of forest land and several downstream components were yet to be completed. He stressed that all agencies must work in coordination to remove these blockages.

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Uttam Kumar Reddy also responded positively to the appeal made by Gummadi Narsaiah for ensuring water supply to Yellandu. He directed that a technical team study the proposal and meet him with their assessment. “Let’s examine if a link canal can serve the purpose without altering the existing design,” he said.

He stated that the Congress government was determined to finish both projects in a time-bound and efficient manner. “This government will do whatever is necessary to deliver these projects to the people,” he said. (Maxim News)

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