Telangana Sets December 2027 Completion Target for Major Devadula Irrigation Project

Hyderabad — State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has issued a firm deadline for the completion of the J. Chokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme, demanding that officials and contractors finish the massive infrastructure project by December 31, 2027. The Minister cautioned against any further postponements during a comprehensive project review held on Saturday.

The Rs. 18,400-crore initiative represents a cornerstone development for Telangana's agricultural sector. Reddy emphasized that the state government views this irrigation undertaking as a priority, instructing project teams to accelerate implementation with heightened urgency.

The scheme is designed to deliver irrigation coverage to 5.57 lakh acres distributed across ten districts in the state, with the capacity to draw 38.16 TMC of water from the Godavari River. The water would be channeled to drought-vulnerable upland regions spanning northern and eastern Telangana, including areas in Hanumakonda, Warangal, Jangaon, Yadadri Bhongir, Suryapet, Siddipet, Mahabubabad, Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Karimnagar districts.

Comprehensive Review Meeting

The review session took place at the Minister's office within the Secretariat, bringing together key state officials and political representatives. Attending the meeting were Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Danasari Anasuya, Member of Parliament Balaram Naik, and several MLCs and MLAs representing districts within the project command area. These included Kadiam Srihari, Mandula Samuel, Murali Naik, K. R. Nagaraj, D. Madhav Reddy, G. Satyanarayana and Palla Rajewar Reddy.

Senior government officials participating in the session included Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao, Irrigation Secretary E. Sridhar, government irrigation advisor Adityanath Das, and senior engineers from the irrigation department.

Phased Implementation Structure

During the assessment, Reddy examined progress across multiple dimensions, including physical advancement, financial allocations, property acquisition status, remaining distributary infrastructure, contractor performance issues, ongoing litigation, and additional funding needs.

The project is being rolled out across three distinct phases using 16 separate packages. The first phase targets irrigation for 1.23 lakh acres, the second phase would cover 1.93 lakh acres, and the final phase would extend irrigation to 2.39 lakh acres.

Beyond agricultural benefits, the Minister noted that completing this initiative would enhance drinking water supply to multiple villages facing chronic water scarcity across Telangana's drought-prone regions.