HYDERABAD: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday unveiled a concrete schedule to accelerate the completion of major irrigation projects across the undivided Mahabubnagar district. Asserting the Congress government’s commitment to rectifying delays under the previous administration, he confirmed that the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme will be finalised by December 2027.
During a comprehensive aerial and ground inspection tour of project sites in Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy districts, the Minister was accompanied by Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao, Telangana State Planning Board Vice Chairman Dr G Chinna Reddy, and MP Dr Mallu Ravi. The delegation assessed the progress of several critical components and directed officials to adhere strictly to the revised timelines.
The inspection began at Narlapur in Kollapur mandal, where the team reviewed the Stage-I pumping station and the Narlapur reservoir, which has a storage capacity of 6.4 TMC. They also examined the open canal linking Narlapur and Yedula, a vital part of Package-3 of the Palamuru-Rangareddy project. Officials and contractors were instructed to complete Package-3 within six months.
The delegation next visited Yedula village in Revally mandal to inspect the reservoir and the Stage-II pumping station at Teegalapally in Kodair mandal. This segment includes 10 high-capacity pumps, each rated at 145 MW, with a combined discharge of 23,000 cusecs into a 6.5 TMC reservoir. The site features India’s largest underground pumping cavern—measuring 30 metres wide, 415 metres long, and 90 metres deep, situated 160 metres below ground.
After a working lunch at the site, the team travelled to the Integrated District Office Complex (IDOC) at Uyyalawada before heading to the Vattem reservoir and Stage-III pumping station in Vattem village of Bijinepally mandal. Like Yedula, this site also houses 10 pumps of similar capacity.
Speaking to the press, Uttam Kumar Reddy announced an eight-month deadline for filling 50 TMC of water in the Narlapur, Yedula, Vattem, and Karivena reservoirs. He added that the Udandapur reservoir would also be brought to operational status by the overall deadline of March 2026.
He issued instructions to ensure that the Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Bheema, and Koilsagar projects reach full completion by March 2026. He also promised that two non-functional motors at Lift-I of the Kalwakurthy scheme would be restored within two to three months.
The Minister directed officials to resolve all pending land acquisition cases and vendor-related packages, urging them to clear implementation hurdles swiftly. He assured that financial allocations would be made without delay to support uninterrupted construction activity.
Criticising the previous BRS-led administration, Uttam Kumar Reddy accused former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of undermining the state’s irrigation interests. He alleged that despite the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal allocating 811 TMC to united Andhra Pradesh, the then leadership demanded only 299 TMC for Telangana—allowing Andhra Pradesh to retain 511 TMC. This, he claimed, led to years of injustice from 2015 to 2023.
He said that upon assuming office, the Congress government had filed a review petition before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II, demanding a revised share of 511 TMC—or at least 60 to 70 percent—for Telangana, in proportion to its basin area and population.
In addition, he confirmed that the State Government had sanctioned ₹25 lakh in ex gratia compensation for each of the six families of workers still trapped inside the SLBC tunnel. With the Geological Survey of India deeming the rescue effort extremely dangerous, a high-level technical committee has been constituted to supervise both the rescue and remaining tunnelling operations.
Reiterating the Congress government’s resolve, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that completing irrigation works in the Palamuru region is a top priority, and pledged to deliver long-pending projects that would benefit lakhs of farmers in southern Telangana.
He also convened meetings with senior officials in Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy to review paddy procurement and ration card distribution, underlining the government’s focus on both long-term infrastructure and immediate welfare measures for rural communities.
