Pranahita-Chevella project back on the anvil

Pranahita Chevella project would have been a much more viable option compared to KLIS, says Uttam Kumar Reddy

Kaleshwaram: The Pranahita – Chevella project conceived by the previous Congress regime would be considered again for implementation, according to the Minister for Irrigation N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday. A ministerial group including D Sridhar Babu, Komatreddy Venkat Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Ponnnam Prabhakar visited Medigadda Barrage as part of a stock- taking mission.

Talking to media persons on the occasion, he said that the government was seriously alarmed by the structural issues faced with the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. The mounting financial burden on the State exchequer because of the huge investment involved in the project is a source of concern.

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Pranahita Chevella project would have been a much more viable option compared to KLIS. As part of the scheme a barrage was proposed at Tammidihatti to divert water from Pranahita river, a tributary of Godavari at an estimated cost of rs 38000 crores. But the proposal was shelved for political considerations. Pranahita Chevella proposal would be put forth before the Chief Minister soon after reaching Hyderabad. It would be considered for implementation to meet the irrigation needs and drinking water needs of the people in the region.

The Minister pointed out that because of the cost overruns the State would end up spending over Rs 1,50,000 crore on the KLIS though it was taken up with an estimated cost of Rs 80,400 crore. The net yield of the project since it’s commissioning was hardly 50 tmc. Tall claims made over the project results proved to be far from reality. It is a sheer waste of public money on a large scale. In an obvious reference to the Engineer-in-chief, C Muralidhar, the Minister said, ‘being the custodian of public money, you should have opted to go on leave, when the project was not implemented as you desired.

Questioning the need for implementation of the expansion phase intended for lifting one more tmc a day under KLIS, when the first phase itself was not fruitful, he said bills worth over Rs 8000 crore were yet to be cleared. Overall pendency of bills in the irrigation department mounted to Rs 9000 crore.