Telangana Begins Land Acquisition for Lakshmidevipally Reservoir

Hyderabad: Land acquisition process for the Lakshmidevipally reservoir has begun, with the government issuing orders to acquire 2,919 acres on Wednesday. The balancing reservoir, a key component of the Palamur-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme, is coming up in Vikarabad and Rangareddy districts.

The reservoir with a capacity of 2.8 tmc ft — for reference, the Hussainsagar holds about 1 tmc ft water — will provide irrigation facilities to nearly four lakh acres across Parigi, Shadnagar, Vikarabad, Chevella and surrounding regions, while also ensuring drinking water supply.

Parigi MLA T. Rammohan Reddy and Shadnagar MLA Veerlapally Shankar visited and inspected the proposed reservoir site on Wednesday along with officials. They reviewed land acquisition, survey activities and construction preparations. The Parigi MLA informed that around Rs 600 crore will be spent on land acquisition, while the total project cost is estimated at around Rs 10,000 crore.

Upon completion, the reservoir is expected to provide irrigation to 61,824 acres in Shadnagar, 1,24,713 acres in Chevella, Jadcherla 24,112 acres, Parigi 80,000 acres, Tandur 90,000 acres, Vikarabad 80,000 acres, Ibrahimpatnam 69,000 acres, Maheshwaram 39,000 acres and Rajendranagar 9,000 acres.

Following the Chief Minister’s assurance on February 7, official orders have now been issued for land acquisition, and District Collectors of Rangareddy and Vikarabad have been directed to immediately begin the land acquisition. The Parigi MLA said the project will significantly boost agricultural productivity, improve groundwater levels and help resolve drinking water shortages.

He further stated that the government’s broader vision is to bring Godavari waters in addition to Krishna waters and create a Krishna–Godavari confluence for the benefit of future generations.