Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Gouravelli Irrigation Project would be fast-tracked, with environmental clearance and legal hurdles addressed on priority.
He expressed confidence that the required environmental approvals would be secured soon. He also asserted that pending administrative and legal issues would be cleared without delay. The Minister made the remarks at a high-level review meeting held at the Secretariat on Sunday.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar attended the meeting. Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to complete land acquisition under a time-bound programme. He assured farmers of fair compensation and speedy payments. Moreover, he warned that there would be “zero excuses” in meeting the June 2 deadline set by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
The Gouravelli Irrigation Project is part of the Indiramma Flood Flow Canal. It was initially planned with a capacity of 1.41 TMC in Siddipet district to irrigate 1.06 lakh acres. Later, authorities enhanced the capacity to 8.23 TMC.
Gouravelli Irrigation Project faces Supreme Court hearing
Referring to a Supreme Court case scheduled for hearing in two days, Uttam Kumar Reddy instructed the Telangana Advocate General to prepare a comprehensive legal strategy. He said the long-pending Gouravelli Irrigation Project had remained stalled for years due to multiple issues. However, he expressed hope that the project would now move towards completion.
The Minister also directed government advisor (Irrigation) Adityanath Das to resolve bottlenecks. In addition, he asked the Collectors of Karimnagar, Jangaon and Siddipet to prioritise land acquisition. He noted that urbanisation has pushed up land values in some areas and called for swift action to prevent further delays.