150-km water impresses Chief Minister KCR

Peddapalli/Jagtial: After the successful completion of the first phase of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS), Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao inspected the project site on Tuesday.

Mr Rao made an aerial survey before offering prayers to the Godavari at the Medigadda barrage. He later he inspected the Goliwada pump house and Yellampally reservoir in Peddapalli district and appreciated the officials for completing the first phase of the project successfully. He then went to Dharmapuri where he offered prayers at the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple.

Mr Rao told mediapersons that he felt happy seeing the flow of Godavari water over a 150-km stretch in the Godavari from Medi-gadda to Dharmapuri which was once bone dry. He said the Kaleshwaram project would become the lifeline of the state.

“We have overcome main issues like power and water supply after state formation. There are no complaints of burning of meters and motors. Telangana is the only state which is supplying uninterrupted 24 hours of power supply to all sectors. With Mission Bhagiratha which will be completed within 15 days, pure drinking water would be supplied to every household,” he said.

He said that the state topped in implementing welfare schemes which he said was appreciated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Mr Rao said the Kaleshwaram project was designed with lot of responsibility after considering the data of 44 years of the Central Water Commission and selecting Medi-gadda as the project site. It was completed in a record time of three years. It would not have been possible for any other government to complete the project in 25 years.

Noting the salient features of the project, Mr Rao said that there were “some self-claimed intellectuals along with leaders of opposition parties who are criticising the government for taking up such an important project.” “They lodged as many as 300 cases against government to stop the development,” he said. Mr Rao said 60 tmc ft of water can be lifted through KLIS for six months.