Tirupati: In a significant push to provide irrigation and drinking water facilities to the parched Kuppam region, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday released waters of River Krishna from the long-awaited Kuppam branch canal.
The release was done at Rajupeta in Rama Kuppam mandal of Chittoor district.
Addressing a huge public meeting at Gundisettipalli in Santhipuram mandal later, the Chief Minister said the 123.6 km-long canal, laid at a cost of `560.29 crore under AVR HNSS Project Phase-2, would irrigate 6,300 acres of farmland and provide drinking water to 4.02 lakh people in Kuppam and Palamaner regions.
"I have fulfilled my promise to the people of Kuppam, which I made during my visit on September 23, 2022. The release of Krishna water would be an event written in golden letters in the region’s history,” Jagan Mohan Reddy said.
Hitting out at Telugu Desam chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu, he alleged that the previous government gave administrative approval for the canal in 2015 to contractors close to Naidu and took kickbacks, but abandoned the project thereafter.
"The YSRC government took this up as a challenge and brought Krishna water to Kuppam from 540 metres upstream and 670 km away from Srisailam as part of the Handri Neeva Project," he said.
Listing the welfare schemes and development projects undertaken in Kuppam, Jagan Mohan Reddy said that over 82,000 of the 87,941 families received benefits under Navaratnalu. “Our government has spent Rs.1,899 crore on welfare schemes, with Rs.1,400 crore given through the direct benefit transfer (DBT), and Kuppam has been upgraded to a municipality with a revenue division and police sub-division,” he noted.
The Chief Minister said his government has sanctioned `66 crore for various development works in Kuppam municipality and Rs.100 crore for four mandals in the region.
Jagan Mohan Reddy also laid the foundation stone for a Rs.215 crore reservoir under the Palar project and gave approval for two more reservoirs that would cost Rs.535 crore. "These reservoirs will irrigate an additional 5,000 acres," he said.
Praising the people of Kuppam, the CM said they remained patient though the previous government tried to block projects like the Vellore Christian Medical College and Hospital, and pushed Chittoor Dairy into losses. "After the YSRC came to power, Chittoor Dairy has been revived while the medical college has also come up. Kuppam has seen progress with new village secretariats, RBKs, clinics and volunteers," he added.
Highlighting the development in Kuppam under the YSRC rule, Jagan Mohan Reddy claimed the region has seen a brisk progress with new village secretariats, 83 RBKs, 76 village clinics, over 1,400 volunteers, 942 secretariat staff, and 93 village secretariats serving the people.
He stated that welfare programmes were implemented transparently, leading to a huge increase in the number of the beneficiaries under schemes like Aarogyasri (up from 7,002 to 12,093), Vidya Deevena (8,459 to 12,093), Vasathi Deevena (7,384 to 11,504) and social pensions (31,000 to 45,374).
The CM also mentioned the distribution of house site pattas to 15,721 persons and construction of 4,871 houses in Kuppam.
