Land Acquisition, R&R For Irrigation Projects A Priority
The state government has so far released Rs 2,782 crore, of which around Rs 566 crore had reached the beneficiaries. While around Rs 989 crore was at various stages of disbursement, another Rs 199 crore was available with districts where payment processes were yet to commence
HYDERABAD: The irrigation department has been asked to speed up payments for land acquired for various irrigation projects on a mission mode with the government saying that around Rs 1,200 crore was available for the purpose that can be disbursed without any delays.
The issue of pending payments for land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement, that was discussed at an emergency video conference with district collectors, irrigation department chief engineers and senior officials, took note of how Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had sanctioned Rs 5,000 crore for this purpose.
The state government has so far released Rs 2,782 crore, of which around Rs 566 crore had reached the beneficiaries. While around
Rs 989 crore was at various stages of disbursement, another Rs 199 crore was available with districts where payment processes were yet to commence. The officials were told that the Chief Minister had set a clear priority to resolving land acquisition and R&R issues and the government was prepared to provide the resources necessary to remove obstacles confronting irrigation projects.
The district collectors were told to deploy additional staff and special teams wherever necessary instead of allowing procedural issues to hold up compensation. The officials were told that acquisition proceedings, consent awards and token generation should be completed in advance. Once award numbers and token details were forwarded, the irrigation department would pursue the required fund releases with the finance department, irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who chaired the video conference, said.
