Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy ordered a war-footing drive to clear irrigation project bottlenecks across Telangana. He directed District Collectors to speed up land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement payments.
The Minister issued the directions during an emergency video conference on Friday. District Collectors, Chief Engineers and senior irrigation officials attended the meeting.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy wanted officials to resolve land acquisition, R&R and forest payment issues quickly. The Chief Minister had sanctioned ₹5,000 crore for these requirements.
The Minister directed Collectors to ensure that sanctioned compensation reaches farmers and displaced families within one or two days. He said officials should follow this timeline wherever documentation remains complete.
He also warned officials against keeping funds in Personal Deposit (PD) accounts without paying beneficiaries. According to him, the money must ultimately reach the affected farmers and families.
The State government has released ₹2,782 crore so far. However, beneficiaries have received only about ₹566 crore from that amount.
Another ₹989 crore remains at different stages of disbursement. Districts also hold ₹199 crore where payment processes have not yet started.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said nearly ₹1,200 crore could reach beneficiaries immediately or after minimal procedural action. He also noted that another ₹455 crore linked to cleared tokens awaited further processing.
The Minister ordered daily monitoring of the gap between released funds and payments credited to beneficiaries. He asked Collectors to treat compensation payments as an urgent priority.
Collectors were also told to deploy additional staff and special teams wherever required. The Minister said procedural delays should not hold up payments after the government releases funds.
Irrigation project bottlenecks draw district-specific action
Uttam Kumar Reddy also told Collectors not to wait for funds to reach their PD accounts before completing acquisition formalities. Instead, officials should complete acquisition proceedings, consent awards and token generation in advance.
Once officials forward award numbers and token details, the Irrigation Department will pursue the required releases with the Finance Department. This process, he said, would reduce avoidable delays between sanction and payment.
In Jagtial district, the Minister directed officials to distribute funds already credited for land acquisition within one or two days. He rejected a one-week timeline proposed by officials when funds and beneficiary details were already available.
Siddipet district also came under review during the meeting. Officials received instructions to proceed with consent awards covering about 180 acres needed for the Mallanna Sagar feeder canal and other works.
The Minister said officials should not wait for the entire financial process before completing the required consent awards. He sought faster action to prevent acquisition delays from affecting project execution.
Meanwhile, land acquisition for the Munneru-Paleru Link Canal in Mahabubabad district received particular attention. Officials were asked to speed up consent awards and revise compensation estimates after discussions with farmers.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said unresolved acquisition matters should not delay the canal project. He directed officials to complete negotiations and related procedures without unnecessary administrative gaps.
Forest-clearance issues also featured prominently in the review. The Minister said irrigation works should not remain stalled because officials had not exchanged required information or coordinated properly.
District Collectors must therefore convene joint meetings involving revenue, irrigation and forest officials. They were also instructed to provide all information needed to resolve pending forest-related issues immediately.
The Minister stressed that every department must work together to remove the remaining irrigation project bottlenecks. He also called for continuous monitoring so that sanctioned funds translate into actual compensation and faster project progress.