YSRC Presses AP Govt to Revive Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project

Senior YSRCP leaders from the Rayalaseema region, including Nandyal district president K Rambhupal Reddy, Kurnool district president SV Mohan Reddy and former minister Sake Sailajanath alleged that the project works were being deliberately stalled to deny political credit to former chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.

"A group of YSRCP leaders accused Naidu of failing to secure environmental clearances and demanded immediate resumption of the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project," said a press release from the opposition party.

These leaders visited the project site at Jupadu Bungala mandal in Kurnool district and spoke to reporters there.

They objected to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's statement in the neighbouring state's Assembly that the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project was halted at his request, prompting the YSRCP leaders to demand Naidu to clarify the understandings he had reached with the Telangana government.

The opposition leaders claimed that nearly 85 percent of the project was completed during the erstwhile YSRCP government's tenure between 2019 and 2024, but alleged that no progress was made even after 19 months of the TDP-led coalition government assuming power.

Terming the lack of environmental clearances as a false pretext, they alleged that the project was stalled only because it would generate goodwill for Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Recalling that the project was launched on May 5, 2020, to permanently address drought in Rayalaseema by utilising floodwater that otherwise flows into the sea, they maintained that Andhra Pradesh was drawing only its legitimate share of the Krishna river water.

Warning of a mass movement involving farmers, farmer unions and irrigation experts if works were not resumed immediately, they said stalling the project would push the region into permanent drought and unemployment.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu emphasised that only during the tenures of Naidu and former CM NT Rama Rao was Rayalaseema transformed from a 'drought-prone region into an agriculturally productive and irrigation-secured zone'.

Dismissing what he termed as alleged false propaganda by the opposition party on the Rayalaseema Lift Scheme, the minister maintained that such claims lacked substance and would not mislead the public.

Explaining the technical aspects, Ramanaidu said that Rayalaseema already receives water from the Srisailam reservoir up to the 841-foot level through gravity, without any lifting or additional expenditure.

He noted that the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme proposed in 2020 envisaged lifting water only from the 800 ft level, where the total availability is 34 TMC, of which Andhra Pradesh's share is just 22 TMC.

This quantity, he said, is already being supplied through the existing Malyala and Muchumarri lift systems, leaving no scope for any substantial additional benefit under the proposed project.

The minister alleged that the erstwhile YSRCP government accorded administrative approval of over Rs 3,800 crore without preparing a Detailed Project Report or obtaining environmental clearance, leading to the National Green Tribunal halting works in May 2020 and imposing penalties later.

Despite spending Rs 990 crore on civil, mechanical and other works, not a single drop of additional water reached Rayalaseema, the Minister alleged.