Telangana’s irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted on Wednesday that the state government is committed to the construction of the Pranahita–Chevella Project.
Pranahita Chevella Project Telangana proposals under review
He said proposals have been prepared in line with the assurance given in the manifesto. The government is making determined efforts to divert water from Tummidihatti to Yellampalli to provide irrigation to lakhs of acres, while also examining alternative proposals for the same alignment.
RV Associates and IIT Hyderabad have jointly submitted four proposals. Each proposal is being thoroughly analysed in terms of cost, feasibility, advantages, and constraints. A final decision will be taken after reviewing these proposals in a meeting with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
A special review meeting was held at the minister’s camp office to discuss alternative alignments from Tummidihatti to Yellampalli and the restoration works of Medigadda, Sundilla, and Annaram barrages, which are part of the Kaleshwaram project.
The Congress government last year decided to revive the Pranahita–Chevella Project across the Godavari River in the erstwhile Adilabad district.
It promised to correct the ‘historic mistake’ committed by the previous BRS regime, which merged the original Pranahita-Chevella project into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme.
Barrage restoration and technical works
Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to complete all required tests for the restoration works for the three barrages of the Kaleshwaram project before the onset of the monsoon.
Standard Penetration Tests (SPT) must be conducted at intervals of every 1.5 meters, and permeability tests at every 3 meters. During drilling, even if rock is encountered, boreholes must be extended up to 5 meters into the rock, he said.
Monitoring, safety, and execution plans
The coordination committee appointed for the restoration of the barrages has been instructed to visit the sites and fix timelines. The Director of Central Water and Power Research Station should remain on-site to ensure the speedy execution of restoration works.
The minister also directed that regular updates on the progress of testing and restoration works be submitted to the National Dam Safety Authority.
Irrigation Principal Secretary E. Sreedhar, Assistant Secretary K. Srinivas, ENC Ramesh Babu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally Collector Rohit Sharma, and representatives from RV Associates and IIT Hyderabad attended the meeting.
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