Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday said the Telangana govt has fast-tracked work on the Devadula lift irrigation scheme, and is aiming to complete the project by next year.“The govt will ensure maximum utilisation of the Godavari waters through the lift irrigation scheme. All available pumping facilities should be optimally operated so that maximum quantity of water can be conveyed to the command areas and reservoirs served by the project,” the minister said.Addressing the media after an extensive review of the project along with ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, D Anasuya and Rajya Sabha MP Vem Narender Reddy, Uttam said they identified bottlenecks in the project and discussed measures to overcome them.A major focus was on land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) and forest-related issues. He said the govt would release the required funds immediately wherever the land acquisition process and award procedures had been completed, he said.Uttam said chief minister Revanth Reddy had assured a special package of ₹6,000 crore for under-construction irrigation projects across Telangana, of which about ₹2,500 crore had already been released.He said Devadula had also received funds for land acquisition recently and said future payments would be made promptly upon completion of necessary procedures. “It is unfortunate that a project of such importance, which was taken up nearly two decades ago, has remained incomplete because of neglect by successive govts. Our govt is determined to complete it on priority,” he said.The minister said the Devadula scheme was designed to lift about 38 TMC of Godavari water and provide irrigation to nearly six lakh acres. Its benefits extend across a number of districts, including Hanumakonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Jangaon, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Suryapet, Siddipet, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally.The govt, he said, was particular that money released for land acquisition actually reach land-losing farmers and other beneficiaries without delay.Referring to a video conference held earlier in the day with district collectors and chief engineers, Uttam said the irrigation and revenue departments, collectors and engineers had been directed to work in coordination so that land acquisition, R&R and other bottlenecks did not delay irrigation works.
