CM to Lay Stone for Palamur Project.

Expressing the hope that Telangana will get an additional 120 tmc water allocation, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao recently directed officials of the irrigation department to chalk out projects keeping that in mind.

Rao, who reviewed the irrigation department's works, also instructed the officials to expedite pending projects. 'Irrigation projects should be given priority on the lines of drinking water scheme and power generation,' he said.

Rao also decided to lay foundation for the Palamur lift irrigation and Nakkalagandi lift irrigation schemes next month. Stating that Palamur lift irrigation is not a new scheme, Rao said the Bheema project was conceptualised during the Hyderabad State regime itself to store 100 tmc water to irrigate 4.25 lakh acres in Gulbarga and Mahbubnagar. As the project had got clearances earlier, Rao felt there was no need of getting all the clearances again.

Referring to the Pranahitha-Chevella project, Rao said Andhra rulers had designed all the projects in such a way that they do not get completed at all. Rao also suggested that the proposed Pranahitha project be renamed as Kaleswaram project.

Reiterating the need to re-engineer some projects, Rao said the services of retired engineers will be utilised to analyse projects on the Godavari and Krishna rivers. A team of retired engineers will conduct an aerial survey soon, he added.


THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS