Rs 25 Crore for Road Connectivity Works at Srisailam Dam

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is laying a road downstream of the river at a cost of ₹25 crore to enable experts to reach the plunge pool area of the Srisailam dam on River Krishna and to the cylinders.

The experts are set to make a study and recommend a plan for their repair and replacement so as to ensure the dam’s safety.

The state government recently called for tenders for developing road connectivity and a Hyderabad based firm has been selected to take up the works. At present, the government is verifying the bank guarantee submitted by the firm. After this, an agreement would be signed with it to take up the works with a timeline of six months.

The firm is also supposed to establish a concrete plant at Sunnipenta for use in road laying works.

Water resources authorities taking up the works are also waiting for the water at Srisailam Dam to recede by discharge of water downstream from the Nagarjuna Sagar project. This could take one and a half months. By then, the downstream area would get exposed, so as to facilitate the road-laying by way of a connectivity initiative.

The firm has been given six months to lay the road but it might be completed even in two to three months.

Once this road is ready, it would be easy for experts from several central agencies including central water commission to visit the dam site for a study of the technicalities and for gauging the intensity of the plunge pool. This would help them decide as to what measures are to be initiated to take up the repair works.

A separate DPR with a cost estimate would be prepared.

Similarly, cylinders at the dam were also found to be in a damaged condition. These were erected 30 years ago. A technical study would lead to the preparation of the DPR with a cost estimate before the work is taken up.

Srisailam Dam superintendent engineer (in-charge) Balachandra Reddy said, “We expect the road works to be completed in three months.”