Naidu Recalls Laying Foundation for Veligonda Project, Vows to Complete It
Naidu said the project was conceived to address the severe drinking water and irrigation shortages faced by people in the backward western region of the then Prakasam district.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday recalled that he had laid the foundation stone for the Veligonda Project exactly 30 years ago on March 5, 1996, when he was the Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Naidu said the project was conceived to address the severe drinking water and irrigation shortages faced by people in the backward western region of the then Prakasam district. The project aims to provide irrigation to about 4.38 lakh acres of farmland and drinking water to nearly 15 lakh people in Prakasam, Nellore district, and Kadapa district by drawing 43.50 TMC of water from the Srisailam Reservoir foreshore.
He alleged that the project suffered setbacks due to the negligence of subsequent governments, but said the works were accelerated during the 2014–2019 period when his government spent about ₹1,414 crore on the project.
Naidu also criticised the previous administration for allegedly neglecting the project and inaugurating it without completing the works.
He said that after the coalition government came to power in 2024, priority was given to the project. According to him, ₹140 crore in pending bills have been cleared and ₹585 crore has been spent on construction works so far.
The Chief Minister stated that 2,200 cubic metres of concrete work related to the head regulator has been completed, while feeder canal lining and retaining wall works worth ₹456 crore are progressing rapidly.
Naidu announced that Krishna river water will be brought to the Veligonda project by July this year with the completion of Phase-1 works, and Phase-2 construction is expected to be completed by 2027–28.
He expressed confidence that the project would fulfil the decades-long dream of the people in drought-prone areas by providing irrigation water to every acre and improving farmers’ livelihoods through horticulture cultivation.
“I laid the foundation for Veligonda, and I will complete the project and deliver water to the people,” Naidu said.
