CM Inaugurates Handri-Neeva Phase-I

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy inaugurated the first phase of the Ananta Venkat Reddy Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi project (AVRHNSS) near Malyala village on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that although the project's foundation stone was laid by late Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, the detailed project report was prepared during Kotla Vijayabhaskar Reddy's regime. He said that again it was the Congress government that completed the first phase by making sufficient budgetary allocations. He said that the project would provide irrigation water to six lakh acres and drinking water to 33 lakh people. Considered as one of the biggest lift-irrigation schemes in the country, he said that even his constituency Pileru would get water from this project.

Addressing the gathering, Pradesh Congress Committee president Botsa Satyanarayana claimed that the state government has spent Rs. 3,200 crore on the Handri-Neeva project. He also ridiculed claims of YSR Congress leader Sharmila that Revenue Minister N Raghuveera Reddy was taking the credit for a project that was implemented by her late father and former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy. He said that although he too respected YSR, the entire credit for the project goes to the Congress party that has always worked for the benefit of common man.

The Revenue Minister and other leaders from the Rayalaseema region also participated in the programme.

During the first phase, 3 TMC of water will be lifted from Srisailam Reservoir near Malyala through eight lifts into the 216 km length main canal, which takes the water to a reservoir at Jeedipalle in Kalyanadurgam of Anantapur district. It will help irrigate around 1.98 lakh acres including 80,000 acres in Kurnool and 1.18 lakh acres in Anantapur districts apart from providing drinking water to 10 lakh people in 144 villages.

Balancing reservoirs were also built at Krishnagiri (0.161 TMC), Pattikonda (1.126 TMC) in Kurnool district and Jeedipalle (1.694 TMC) in Anantapur district.

The project has been divided into the two phases and, once completed, it will draw 40 TMC feet of Krishna water from Srisailam reservoir, and lift it in stages to a height of 800 ft into 8 balancing reservoirs through a total length of 565 km. (INN)