The state government which has initiated the modernisation of Nagarjunasagar Project main canals wants to extend water to every acre of the ayacut by taking up repairs to the minor and sub-minor canals too. The government decided to involve the water bodies such as water user associations and distributor committees for the repair works. A total of 72 water user associations and 12 distributory committees are under Tekulapalli circle in Khammam and Krishna districts and these bodies should complete the repair works of the canals before kharif.

While the farmers who have been fighting for the much-awaited Rajivsag-ar (Dummugudem) Lift Irrigation Project for the last two decades are expressing happiness over the comme-ncement of works, those who were losing lands un-der the project are insisting that the government start works only after paying compensation to their lands. The evacuees of the project also demanded that the government pay the compensation on par with the price being paid to the victims of Indirasagar Multi-purpose Irrigation Project.

The Rythu Sadassu in Paloncha revenue division succeeded in achieving its goal for sustainable farming and expanding bio-agriculture. Farmers from 18 mandals including Aswapuram, Burgumpahad, Manuguru, Pinapaka, Kukkunur, Velie-rpad and Paloncha attended the meeting. The farmers decided to start bio-farming in 30,000 acre in the 18 mandals and they would not use pesticides and inorganic fertilisers.

The farmers of three mandals of Tirumalayapalem, Khammam Rural and Kusumanchi, who were not getting irrigation water to their fields through the stage two of Sriramsagar Project demanded water from Rajivsagar Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS) or from Krishna-Godavari link canal project.

The minister for health and family welfare, Mr Sambhani Chandrasekhar, on Monday said the state stood first in the country in executing National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Addressing a meeting, Mr Chandrasekhar said that Khammam district achi-eved first place in the state in implementing the scheme in a successful way and about Rs 163 crore was spent for the purpose. He said that 1.5 lakh labourers have been getting wages under NREGS for the last 45 days.

The Singareni Collieries Company Limited proposed to mechanise the new underground mines coming up soon while introducing machines in the existing ones.

All the works including civil, pressure mines (laying underground pipelines) and electro-mechanical works of Indirasagar Lift Irrigation Scheme (ILIS) are going on a war-footing with an aim to start t

The government is conducting a socio-economic survey in the Bhadrachalam forests to find out the status of primitive tribal groups who will be displaced by the Polavaram project. The minister for major irrigation, Mr Ponnala Lakshmaiah, told the Council that that the survey had been concluded in 276 villages. Ten more villages are left to be surveyed. Kondareddis, one of the primitive groups, live in the Bhadrachalam forests. Mr Lakshmaiah was reacting to MLCs who asked the government to explain the status of the primitive tribes. Mr P. Yadagiri (TD) said, advocates who were filing cases on behalf of displaced people were minting money. The minister said land acquisition was done with the consent of the locals and there was no role of advocates. The Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy said collectors were asked to be liberal while granting compensation to displaced persons.

Tenders of one and four package of Dummugudem-Nagarjunasagar Project tail pond link canal, the first of its kind in the country in river linkage of Godavari and Krishna rivers, would be put online for e-procurement on February 27. The first package is an approach canal from zero to 6.5 km and water would be drawn from Godavari at the time of floods and it would be taken to the tail pond of Nagarjunasagar reservoir. Water would be drawn when the river crosses 52.5 feet and would be diverted through 6.5 km length approach canal on gravity. There is no need for lifting it to the point. The contracts would be called on engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) system. Though the engineers of the project evolved a plan for the packages on behalf of the government the companies which obtained the tenders have to submit fresh engineering, procurement and construction plans for the packages of the project. As a result, the cost may be reduced or increased as per the approved plan. The fourth package is for constructing a pump house for 20,000 cusecs and digging a canal from 38.5 km to 48 km. The project officials planned to call the tenders on February 21 but it was postponed to February 27 to finalise the cost of the two packages. Officials are tight-lipped about the cost of the project, but sources said that the two packages would cost Rs 550 crore. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 8,930 crore and the project work would be divided into more than 18 packages. Water can be drawn only during floods.

Efforts are being made to set up another thermal power station with a capacity of 500 mw called Pithead Thermal Power Project (PTPP) in Sattupalli by APGenco. The officials of APGenco started clearing the bottlenecks in setting up the power project there such as finding water, land and coal linkage.