Andhra Pradesh to conduct a survey on safety, maintenance of projects.

The Andhra Pradesh Government will conduct a comprehensive survey on the safety and maintenance of irrigation projects in the State. The decision follows a review meeting by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in Amaravati recently.

The Chief Minister instructed the authorities to conduct a comprehensive review of all projects in the State and rectify maintenance conditions if needed. He also asked officials to take appropriate measures to ensure that there are enough staff to manage irrigation projects and reservoirs and told them to recruit staff as per the requirement.

A committee has been set up under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary with the officials of various departments, besides an expert committee from institutions such as IIT and JNTU which is being headed by the Water Resources Engineer-in-Chief to ascertain the condition of various projects, the officials informed the Chief Minister.

The high-level team led by the Chief Secretary has been focusing on an automated system that would link real-time data to the command control room which could alert flash floods and heavy rains. The expert committee is identifying areas where there could be property damage and loss of life if a large amount of water is released.

Proposals are being prepared for recruiting additional staff for the maintenance of all major and medium reservoirs and barrages, as well as for water regulation, according to a release.

HBL