Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced that the State government will shortly take up works on the construction of canals planned under the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) as the project recently received environmental clearance overcoming all the obstacles.
The Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government is determined to complete the lift irrigation project, envisaging water to 12 lakh acre ayacut and catering to the drinking water needs of 1,200 villages, as early as possible. Steps would be taken to lift water to the reservoirs through lifts to meet the drinking water needs of the people.
The Chief Minister was speaking after hoisting the national flag at Rani Mahal Lawns of historic Golconda fort on the occasion of the Independence Day on August 15. He took a dig at the Opposition parties, the Congress in particular, for trying to create obstacles in the construction of PRLIS which was conceived to mitigate the plight of Mahabubnagar district, reputed for migration of people to other parts of the State and the country.
The Opposition had shown its intentions by filing cases against the PRLIS in the Green Tribunal. “They tried to harm the interests of the people of the drought prone district for cheap political gains,” he said. But the government remained steadfast on its commitment for taking up the project as a result of which the cases had been set aside and it received environmental clearance.
The Chief Minister was also critical of the Opposition for “distorting” facts pertaining to the development achieved by the State in a short span of time. “They have exposed their cheap mentality by distorting facts. One leader went to the extent of claiming that three-hour supply is sufficient for the farm sector,” he said taking an indirect dig at TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy. He said he was confident that people would teach a fitting lesson to these parties at an appropriate time for the latter’s “anti-farmer attitude”.
Mr. Rao recalled the unprecedented rains that lashed the State last month and said the government took adequate steps anticipating the impact of the rains in advance. Trained personnel, as well as equipment, were deployed for rescuing people stuck in flood water and moving them to relief camps in time. An amount of ₹500 crore was released as immediate relief and the timely intervention by the government ensured that there was no major loss of life or property.
The government was committed to help the families of people who died due to unprecedented rains and houses would be sanctioned under Gruha Lakshmi scheme for those whose houses were damaged. Enumeration of crop damages was in progress and appropriate measures would be taken after the report was prepared.
The untimely rains had bridged the deficit rainfall in June and July and all the reservoirs were now full to their capacity. The government was estimating paddy cultivation in 64.54 lakh acres this season and steps had been taken to position the required quantum of seeds and fertilisers accordingly. “The government is committed to help farmers who are affected by the calamity,” he said.