The Telangana government has ordered a time-bound push to complete the Gouravelli irrigation project in Siddipet district, where reservoir construction is nearly 98% complete but pending clearances, land acquisition, rehabilitation and canal works continue to delay delivery of water to its intended 1.06 lakh-acre ayacut.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy issued the directions at a review meeting at the state secretariat on Saturday, attended by Minister Ponnam Prabhakar. He asked irrigation and revenue officials to resolve the remaining land acquisition and rehabilitation issues and translate the expenditure already incurred on the project into irrigation benefits for farmers.
The Gouravelli project is located in Akkannapet mandal of Siddipet district and forms part of the Indiramma flood flow canal project linked to the Sriram Sagar Project. Its original construction agreement was signed in May 2008, when the region was part of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The reservoir’s planned capacity was later increased from 1.410 thousand million cubic feet, or TMC, to 8.230 TMC. A supplementary agreement for the expanded works was signed in December 2017, but those works did not progress because the required approvals and clearances were not obtained, according to the report.
“The reservoir works are nearly 98% complete. Environmental clearance, remaining land acquisition, rehabilitation obligations and canal works must be addressed before the project can deliver its intended irrigation benefits,” Reddy said.
The minister also stressed that completing the reservoir alone would not be sufficient. A functioning canal and distributary network will be required to carry water from the reservoir to agricultural fields. He said budgetary provision was available for the current financial year and instructed officials to ensure that the remaining work proceeds on schedule.
The project has incurred total expenditure of Rs 1,343 crore so far. This includes Rs 886 crore on construction works, including price escalation, and Rs 456 crore on land acquisition and rehabilitation. A further Rs 114 crore is estimated to be required for completion.
Land acquisition for the reservoir is close to completion. Of the 3,870 acres required, 3,850 acres have been acquired. Compensation for the remaining 20 acres has been deposited before the land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement authority in Hyderabad, the report said.
Reddy directed the government to fast-track the remaining acquisition process. He also ordered that a revised reservoir estimate of Rs 1,457 crore be sent to the chief secretary for placement before the next cabinet meeting. The revised estimate includes higher land compensation and rehabilitation costs, changes in GST and other statutory charges, and price escalation.
The government’s next steps are therefore focused on securing the pending approvals, completing rehabilitation obligations, resolving the final land parcels and finishing the canal and distributary network needed to supply the project’s planned ayacut.
