Peddavagu project breach due to neglect of officials, says Harish Rao

Demanding a thorough enquiry into the incident, Harish Rao said the project gates were opened only after the farmers under the projects alerted the officials.

Hyderabad: Holding the official machinery that failed to monitor closely the flood levels in the Peddavaggu project squarely responsible for its breach, BRS leader and MLA T. Harish Rao on Saturday said the extensive damage caused in Aswaraopet mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district could have been avoided by lifting the flood gates in time.

Demanding a thorough enquiry into the incident, he said the project gates were opened only after the farmers under the projects alerted the officials. The damage caused to the project was estimated to be over Rs.100 crore and it could have been avoided had the officials responded to the situation on time. The Gummadivalli village under the project would have been submerged totally in case of further delay in opening the flood gates of the project, he said.

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Harish Rao demanded a compensation of Rs.25,000 per acre for the land that were sandcast and Rs.10,000 per acre as immediate assistance. He said helicopters pressed into service as part of the rescue operations also failed to reach the project site on time.