NELLORE: The deadlock over tapping water from Rallapadu Project in Prakasam district to a Central government sponsored Cattle Breeding Centre- ‘National Kamadhenu Breeding Centre’, at Chintaladevi Village in SPSR Nellore district, has been causing jitters to the officers concerned.
They are worried as the move would seriously affect the functioning of the institute, only one of its kind in South India.
The state government had sanctioned 07.88 tmc.ft of water through GO No. 40 in 2018 and sanctioned Rs 7.50 crore to a lift scheme to take the water through a 12 km-long pipeline from Rallapadu to the centre at Chintaladevi.
Contractors have completed works worth Rs 6 crore, including 9 km-long pipeline and pump house and the works came to a grinding halt after political leaders and farmers under Rallapadu stopped the work in May this year.
The only pending part of the scheme is fixing of motors to draw the water from Rallapadu project, an irrigation engineer said.
The leaders argued that farming community in Prakasam will suffer if the water is diverted to Kamadhenu Project located in Chintaladevi at neighbouring Nellore district.
Incidentally, 1.5 tmc. ft of water is being allotted from Somasila project located in the Nellore district to Rallapadu to irrigate 15,000 acres and 7.88 tmc.ft allocated to quench the thirst of cattle in Kamadhenu project can hardly irrigate 50 acres.
Irrigation officials said that collectors of Nellore and Prakasam districts are supposed to meet and resolve the issue through a discussion, as per an earlier plan, but this is not happening though it is more than three months.
When contacted, irrigation minister Dr P. Anilkumar Yadav said he had already spoke to Kandukuru legislator M. Mahidhar Reddy on the issue while expressing confidence in resolving the matter shortly.
Joint director of National Kamdhenu Breeding Centre Dr Raman said the Rural Water Supply Department has sanctioned 13 bore wells to address the present water needs of the centre and the grounding work is in progress.
