Chalk out strategy for completion of irrigation projects: Telangana CM to officials

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao Monday asked officials to chalk out a strategy with an integrated approach for completing irrigation projects.

The strategy should be aimed at providing irrigated water to one crore acres of land through optimum utilisation of water of Godavari and Krishna basins, he said during a meeting with officials on irrigation projects.

Alleging that the Centre did not provide adequate funds to the state, he said the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) would play a key role after the next Lok Sabha polls and that it would be in a position to obtain funds.

"Telangana was a backward state. It faced negligence and discrimination during the erstwhile government that is the reason why people struggled for separate state," Rao said in a release issued here.

"Several times I requested PM Modi to recognise one of the Telangana irrigation projects as national project. I pleaded him to provide 20-30,000 crores of rupees for construction of irrigation projects. However, there is no response from him and funds were not provided," he said.

He claimed while the NITI Aayog had recommended the Union government to provide Rs 24,000 crores of funds for Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya schemes of the state government, the Narendra Modi government did not give even Rs 24.

"After the next Lok Sabha elections, we will play key role at the Centre and will be in a position to obtain funds from the Centre. Along with this, the revenue growth rate of our state is also excellent. While during the first four years, the growth rate was 17.17 per cent, this year till now it registered 29.17 per cent. As there is no dearth of funds let us aim at completion of construction of projects," the chief minister said.

He said the people voted the TRS to power as they were confident that irrigation projects would be completed if the party came to power.

For this, the chief minister said, officers and work agencies should extend their cooperation, according to the release.

Rao said that on the lines of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, Palamuru- Rangareddy Lift Irrigation project will be completed on fast track.

Noting that Telangana's share is 950 TMCs in river Godavari, he said the state government is accordingly constructing projects on the river namely Kaleswaram, Tupakula gudem and Sita Rama.