Hyderabad, Oct 14 (IANS) Telangana’s Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday reiterated the Congress government’s commitment to complete the Devadula project across the Godavari River within the stipulated timeframe and make it fully operational within two years.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government would ensure that the project becomes fully operational within two years, providing dependable irrigation to nearly six lakh acres.

He directed the Irrigation Department to remove all procedural hurdles, expedite pending works and ensure that irrigation benefits reach every farmer in the drought-prone areas of north Telangana.

The Irrigation Minister, along with Panchayat Raj Minister D Seethakka and elected representatives of the combined Warangal district, reviewed the progress of the J. Chokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme (JCRDLIS).

Officials informed the minister that the Devadula scheme, conceived to lift 38.16 TMC of water from the Godavari River near Gangaram village in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, is designed to irrigate 5.57 lakh acres in upland and semi-arid areas of Hanamkonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Jangaon, Yadadri, Suryapet, and Siddipet districts.

The project involves a total lift of 469 metres from an elevation of 71 metres to 540 metres and is being implemented in three phases that include major pump houses, tunnels, reservoirs, distribution systems, and canal networks.

As per the latest progress report, the total irrigation potential created so far stands at 3.17 lakh acres out of the total planned 5.56 lakh acres. When combined with 58,028 acres irrigated through groundwater, the overall ayacut potential will reach 6.14 lakh acres upon completion.

The state government has so far incurred an expenditure of Rs 14,269.63 crore against the revised project cost of Rs 18,500 crore, leaving a balance of Rs 4,230 crore required to complete the remaining works.

The physical progress report presented at the meeting showed that 39 out of 46 tanks and 18 out of 21 pump houses are operational. These figures reflect an overall progress ranging between 67 and 95 per cent across different components of the scheme.

Phase I of the project has been commissioned to lift 5.18 TMC of water over 170 days each year and is already delivering irrigation benefits to an ayacut of 1.23 lakh acres. Phase II, which aims to lift 7.25 TMC of water to serve another 1.93 lakh acres, is in an advanced stage of completion. Phase III, involving a major lift of 25.75 TMC through the construction of new pump houses, tunnels and reservoirs, will cover 2.39 lakh acres and is being implemented under eight packages. Packages I and II have been completed, while the remaining are under execution.

The land acquisition report indicated that 32,079 acres have been acquired out of the required 34,386 acres, leaving a balance of only 2,307 acres to be secured, largely under Phase III components.

Uttam Kumar Reddy instructed officials to complete all pending land acquisition, lining, and mechanical works within the next financial year and to prioritise the commissioning of the remaining pump houses. He said all outstanding contractor payments must be cleared promptly to ensure uninterrupted progress.

–IANS

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