Jittery over BRS protests, Govt resumes work on Sangameshwara, Basaveshwara projects

The Congress government has resumed the works at SLIP and BLIP, fearing opposition from the people.

Sangareddy: As the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) gears up to launch protests to expose the inordinate delay in taking up the twin lift irrigation projects, Sangameshwara Lift Irrigation Project (SLIP) and Basaveshwara Lift Irrigation Project (BLIP), the Congress government has resumed the works fearing opposition from the people.

Former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, who laid the foundation for these two lift irrigation projects on February 20, 2022, near Narayankhed, had asked former minister T Harish Rao to launch various protest programmes across Sangareddy district to expose the Congress government’s neglect towards these two projects.

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Chandrashekhar Rao gave directions to this effect while talking to a team of BRS leaders from Zaheerabad constituency who visited him at Erravalli on January 31. Following the directions of the former Chief Minister, Harish Rao also held a review meeting on February 14 with key BRS leaders of Sangareddy to chalk out a plan to carry out protests across the district. However, sensing that the BRS protests would expose the government’s failure, officials have grounded earth works to build a pump house for BLIP at Borancha in Manoor mandal. The pump house will be built on 12 acres of land in the backwaters of Singur reservoir.

Godavari water will be pumped in from Kondapochamma Sagar to Singur as part of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Later, the water will be lifted through SLIP and BLIP to meet the irrigation and drinking needs of Sangareddy, Andole, Narayankhed and Zaheerabad assembly segments. Combinedly, the twin lift projects will provide irrigation water to 4 lakh acres across these four assembly segments. According to estimates made in 2022 by the Irrigation department, the government will have to spend Rs.2,653 crore on SLIP and Rs.1,774 crore on BLIP.

SLIP will provide irrigation water to 2.19 lakh acres in 231 villages of Sangareddy, Andole and Zaheerabad assembly segments while BLIP will provide irrigation water to 1.81 lakh acres in Andole and Narayankhed assembly segments. Despite the government beginning the works, the BRS under the leadership of Harish Rao is preparing to organise protest programmes from February 24. The intention was to make the government complete these two projects within a short time and without further delay.