"As the Irrigation Department is facing a shortage of engineers, the government has decided to recruit 1,100 Assistant Engineers through Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission", Major and Medium Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said on Tuesday.
The department will also recruit 1,300 additional engineer posts through the State government, to fill the shortage, the Minister asserted.
Ponnala also stated the that the government had to clear pending bills of contactors to the tune of Rs. 3,900 crores till 31st March 2010, in connection with Jalayagnam irrigation project works.
Talking to media persons after emerging out of a review meeting over land acquisition and Jalayagnam works at Secretariat with his officials, Ponnala said that the government had so far cleared pending bills worth Rs. 2,700 crores to contractors so far, and that the arrears will be cleared soon.
Ponnala said that the government needed to pay Rs. 9,600 crores for acquisition of lands for irrigation projects. The government has released Rs. 4,700 crores for land acquisition so far.
The Minister said that the government had allocated Rs. 500 crore for rehabilitation and compensation for victims who were evicted for the construction of dams, and that a sum of Rs. 500 crores will be utilized for afforestation due to submergence by dam waters.