In a significant development, the Centre has accorded environmental clearance for the Sitharama Project in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
The project has already got the forest clearance, and the main environmental clearance now will help speed up the works.
The clearance is a result of the efforts of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao at the Central level - in his recent visit to Delhi, the CM had called on the Union Minister for Forests and Environment Harshavardhan and sought his support for the speedy completion of the projects in Telangana - and comes as a shot in the arm for the Telangana government which is according top priority to irrigation projects and wishes to bring under irrigation one crore acres in the state over a period of time.
The Telangana government now aims to complete this project by June 2019, and has been busy taking up the project works. On completion, the project will irrigate about three lakh acres in the Kothagudem, Wyra and Paler segments, and help agriculture production and farmers.