Naidu Unveils Irrigation Calendar

 Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Friday unveiled an irrigation calendar with timelines for 25 major projects.

Addressing the concluding session of the Collectors’ and SPs’ meet in Amaravati, Naidu directed them to strengthen law and order, accelerate infrastructure works and adopt citizen-centric governance across Andhra Pradesh.

He said governance must move from an “I” approach to a collective “we” model and stressed that teamwork among officials was essential for delivering better results to people.

The conference, which lasted nearly 22 hours over two days, focused extensively on law and order, investments, welfare delivery, irrigation and infrastructure development.

The Chief Minister announced an irrigation calendar detailing the foundation and completion timelines for 25 major irrigation and flood management projects — a move he described as a demonstration of the government’s commitment to boost the state’s water infrastructure.

The calendar includes completion of the Polavaram Left Main Canal by July 2026, the Veligonda Phase-I by August 2026, the Polavaram project by June 2027 and several lift irrigation, canal modernisation and reservoir works across Rayalaseema and north Andhra.

The CM said the state would complete the pending irrigation projects in north Andhra within two years and ensure water supply to the tail-end areas of Rayalaseema through the Handri-Neeva project.

He also announced plans to begin works on the Neradi Barrage this year.

Reviewing policing and crime control measures with district collectors and SPs, Naidu called for visible and technology-driven policing that would create fear among criminals and confidence among citizens. Cops must use advanced technology for evidence collection, speed up investigations and ensure higher conviction rates.

DGP Harish Gupta informed the meeting that the state had recorded a decline in several categories of crime compared to last year. Crimes against women dropped by seven per cent, theft cases by eight per cent, economic offences by 0.3 per cent and crimes against SCs and STs by nearly 30 per cent, he claimed.

The DGP said cybercrime victims in the state had lost Rs 652 crore, of which the police had managed to freeze `116 crore.

Naidu said the officials must intensify public awareness campaigns against cyber and financial frauds. He ordered the establishment of a dedicated cyber war room with specialised cyber forces.

Expressing concern over road accidents, the CM directed officials to identify accident-prone black spots and work in coordination with other departments to reduce fatalities. He also instructed the police to crack theft cases within 24 hours of receiving complaints wherever possible.

The DGP informed the conference that the police had seized 50,000 kg of red sanders and registered 302 cases, while conviction rates in red sanders smuggling cases stood at 91 per cent.

The CM also set an ambitious target of increasing the state’s conviction rate from the present 49.8 per cent to 70 per cent. The conviction rate stood at 44 per cent in 2025, officials said.

In his keynote address, the CM highlighted Andhra Pradesh’s investment momentum, claiming that the state had attracted investments worth Rs 23 lakh crore in the past 23 months, potentially generating employment for 24 lakh people.

“Investments come only when the law and order is strong,” he said, adding that Andhra Pradesh had built a strong brand image and was ensuring “speed of doing business” through faster approvals.

Naidu said collectors and SPs must ensure rapid grounding of projects and better coordination at the district level.

- 2026 TARGETS

* June 2026

Cotton Barrage Gates (Foundation)

* July 2026

- Polavaram Left Main Canal

- Guntur Channel Modernisation (Foundation)

* June/July 2026

- Tungabhadra New Gates

* August 2026

- Veligonda Phase-I

- Handri Neeva Branch (Foundation)

- Galeru Nagari (Foundation)

* November 2026

- Neradi Barrage (Foundation)

2027 TARGETS

- January 2027

- Madduvalasa Phase-II

* April 2027

- Hiramandalam Lift Irrigation Scheme

* June 2027

- Nagavali–Champavathi River Link

- Polavaram Project

- Budameru Flood Protection Project

- Under Tunnel

- Drainage Channel

- Connectivity up to Kolleru

- Muktyala Lift Irrigation Scheme

* July 2027

- Vamsadhara Phase-II Stage-II (Hiramandalam Barrage)

- Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme – Phase-I

- Handri-Neeva Phase-II

- Thotapalli Distributory

* December 2027

- Neeva Branch Canal (up to Mulapalli)

- Mulapalli Lift

- Madakasira Branch Canal Widening

Janjavathi Reservoir

2028 TARGETS

* June 2028

- Vedavathi Lift Irrigation Scheme

- Bhairavani Thippa

- Upper Pennar Project