Basaveshwara Lift Irrigation Project: Foundation for pump-house laid

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao would have prolonged the construction of the Yadadri Temple until the election if had he had any intentions to gain political mileage, said Harish Rao

Sangareddy: Finance Minister T Harish Rao said the Bharat Rastra Samithi (BRS) never used religion for gaining political mileage though Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had named all major irrigation projects across Telangana after various gods and goddesses.

Speaking after laying the foundation for the pump-house of the Basaveshwara Lift Irrigation Project (BLIP) at Borancha village in the backwaters of Singur on Saturday, Harish Rao said the Chief Minister had named the Basaveshwara Project as well after Lord Basaveshwara, and pointed out that if the Chief Minister would have prolonged the construction of the Yadadri Temple until the election if had he had any intentions to gain political mileage. However, he had developed Yadadri into one of the best temples in India without expecting anything in return.

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Narayankhed, which was once a backward constituency, was witnessing a major transformation, with two lakh acres to come under irrigation via the BLIP and Sangameshwara Lift Irrigation Projects. Drinking water was already being provided across the constituency through Mission Bhagiratha, he said, also pointing out that Narayankhed, once known for migration, was now witnessing migrant workers from West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and other parts of India working in fields here. The support that the Telangana government was extending to the farming sector had sparked reverse migration in the area while land prices had shot up from Rs 60,000 per acre to Rs.60 lakh per acre.

The Basaveshwara project was being taken up as part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme with an objective to provide irrigation water to a major part of Narayankhed and parts of Andole Constituency. The project outlay was Rs.1,774 crore with the pump house being constructed on 41 acres of land at Borancha.

Collector A Sharath, Engineer-in-Chief (KLIS) Ajay, MLAs Mahareddy Bhupal Reddy, Kranthi Kiran and others were present.