CM Naidu to Inaugurate Veligonda Project by August End
The CM, he said, would fulfill the 30 years’ dream of the people from the western sector of erstwhile Prakasam district by inaugurating the project.
Vijayawada: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu would inaugurate the Veligonda project by the end of this month.
Social welfare minister Dola Sri Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy stated this to the media on Wednesday after the CM handed over a cheque of `200 crore as relief to the Veligonda project-displaced families.
The minister noted that Naidu had laid the stone for the Veligonda project. The CM, he said, would fulfill the 30 years’ dream of the people from the western sector of erstwhile Prakasam district by inaugurating the project.
In the first phase, `318 crore was remitted to the bank accounts of the affected people followed by a payment of `200 crore in the second phase, the minister said, adding that the balance of `400 crore soon.
Meanwhile, the Krishna water is expected to be released through the tunnels of the Veligonda project into the 43.50 tmc-ft capacity Nallamala Sagar reservoir by the end of August, marking a major milestone for irrigation and drinking water security in the drought-prone areas of Andhra Pradesh.
The project is designed to provide irrigation to nearly 4.47 lakh acres and supply drinking water to several drought and fluoride-hit regions. This is expected to significantly strengthen the region’s water infrastructure by diverting Krishna flood waters to the Nallamala Sagar reservoir to meet both the agricultural and drinking water needs.
The completion and commissioning of the project could provide a major boost to farming, improve groundwater and offer long-term relief to the water-stressed communities.