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Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday, July 16, said the state government would make maximum use of Godavari waters through gravity and lift irrigation, and vowed to complete the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme without delay or misuse of funds.

Vikramarka was speaking to reporters after inspecting the Sitarama and Seethamma Sagar projects in Bhadradri Kothagudem district with ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. He said the aim was to complete the project at the earliest and ensure Godavari water reached the last ayacut.

Cost escalated under previous BRS govt: Bhatti

He recalled that the Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar lift irrigation schemes were designed under former chief minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy to irrigate 4 lakh acre at a combined cost of Rs 3,505 crore. He alleged that though nearly Rs 2,000 crore had been spent before bifurcation and only about Rs 1,505 crore more was needed, the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government redesigned the projects, pushing the cost to nearly Rs 24,000 crore, an increase of Rs 7,500 to 8,000 crore.

Vikramarka said the Congress government, after taking office, had reviewed the redesigned projects and decided to continue rather than scrap them, given the funds already spent. He said gaps such as missing distributary canals were being fixed, with the Rajiv Canal linked to the Sagar Canal, the Wyra and Paleru reservoirs filled via link canals and tunnels and works accelerated to take water up to Sathupalli.

“This is the people’s government. Not even a single rupee will be misused. We will carry forward the works already executed, prioritise them, and complete them as early as possible,” he said, adding that the government would draw maximum water from the project to meet farmers’ demands.