Hyderabad: With key issues pertaining to Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) resolved, the Irrigation Department has set a deadline to launch at least two pumps each at Narlapur, Yedula and Vattem reservoirs by June this year.
With senior officials stepping in to sort out issues related to land acquisition, the department is confident of meeting the June deadline particularly since the State government has sanctioned Rs 660 crore for the completion of PRLIS, a key project that will cater to the needs of south Telangana.
Officials told ‘Telangana Today’ that the total land required for the project was 27,163 acres of which 24,064 acres had already been acquired leaving just 3,099 acres to be acquired. The process for acquiring 50 acres for the pump house at Narlapur, a key component of the project, and another 250 acres for the tunnel at Kothapeta was already on, and the acquisition of the remaining land would be expedited, officials said.
Officials said they were also taking the assistance of the Revenue Department in completing the process. A series of meetings were conducted with officials from Irrigation, Revenue and other Departments concerned to sort out the issues to acquire the land to pave way for early completion of PRLIS.
Barring Udandapur and Narlapur reservoirs, work at Karivena and Vattem was going on at a brisk pace. With Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao firm on completing the project soon, the Irrigation Department was leaving no stone unturned in executing the works after sorting out all the problems, officials said.
Senior officials from the Irrigation Department conducted a meeting and entrusted responsibilities to departments concerned for the smooth and fast progress of construction works recently. The officials also fixed a time-frame for the completion of construction of the four pump houses by June.
The Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) package for the project oustees was also discussed at the meeting. A team comprising senior officials is planning to visit Bhopal soon to discuss the supply of heavy-duty equipment required for the project. “We are trying our best to start at least four pumps by June,” PRLIS Chief Engineer V Ramesh told Telangana Today.