Land acquisition hurdles pose threat to crucial irrigation projects in Telangana

The need to acquire at least 6,000 acres of land on a warfooting is crucial to ensure that the projects are completed.

Hyderabad: The progress of irrigation projects put on priority list in the State is heavily dependent on the timely acquisition of land. The need to acquire at least 6,000 acres of land on a warfooting is crucial to ensure that the projects are completed.

The government is firm on their completion within the targeted timeline of one year. Most of them have seen 80 to 90 percent of the works completed during the previous regime. However, the challenges faced in acquiring the land continue to be the same and are eluding solution. It is such an arduous task that the government had sought to entrust the responsibility exclusively to a senior IAS officer.

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The land acquisition process is facing problems mainly because of the legal and bureaucratic hurdles. With the government using legal means to acquire land without a proper conflict resolution mechanism, the process has led to disputes and delays.

The delay in the progress of works on the priority projects such as J Chokkarao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme, Sripada Yellampalli Project, Koil Sagar Lift, Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift, Nettempadu Lift and Rajiv Bhima Lift is more or less land acquisition related, according to sources.

Even years after the completion of the head works of the projects, the canal networks could not be completed. Similar issues resulted in delayed progress in respect of Dindi Lift, SRSP Stage II, Sadarmat barrage, Nilavai, and Palemvagu – which are all critical for enhancing the State’s irrigation capacity.

So is the case with Chinna Kaleshwaram, Modikuntavagu, Lower PenGanga and Chanaka Korata projects. The officials had appraised Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of these issues, as he reviewed the work progress at Jala Soudha recently. The Chief Minister assured steps to ensure timely release of funds through green channel for the completion of the priority projects.

Ensuring fair compensation and proper resettlement for affected families has also turned into a complex and sensitive issue. In this backdrop, it may be an uphill task to complete them within one year. There is considerable resistance from local communities that are reluctant to give up their land, even with compensation. Their resistance, it is feared, may further complicate the land acquisition process.