Palamuru Irrigation Projects Receive Government Focus Amid Development Push

Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has placed irrigation schemes in the Palamuru region at the forefront of the state government's development agenda, citing the need to tackle persistent drought and economic backwardness in the area.

During a comprehensive review session held at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the Minister engaged with elected representatives from the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district, including Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari. Senior officials including Irrigation Secretary E. Sridhar and Engineer-in-Chief General Ramesh Babu were also present.

The government has positioned Palamuru irrigation initiatives alongside major undertakings such as Devadula, SLBC, and Sitarama projects, with officials tasked to accelerate implementation timelines. Uttam Kumar Reddy assured attendees that the administration would conduct another focused review within two weeks to reassess execution priorities and remove administrative bottlenecks.

The Minister characterized the current approach as corrective action, noting that the Palamuru region had faced neglect during the previous administration's decade in power. He emphasized that officials are actively monitoring project progress and working to eliminate execution obstacles.

The Jurala Project emerged as a critical component of the regional development strategy. Sedimentation has significantly diminished the reservoir's storage capacity to below eight thousand million cubic feet (TMC). The government has forwarded applications to the Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking financial support through the DRIP (Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project) programme, with desiltation expected to enhance dam safety, storage efficiency, and operational performance.

Addressing claims made by the previous administration regarding the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project, the Minister dismissed assertions that the initiative was 90 percent complete, characterizing such statements as inaccurate. He attributed project complications to a previous decision to relocate the water intake point from Jurala to the Srisailam reservoir, which created cascading delays. The earlier government's decision to call tenders for distribution networks without securing land acquisition for the canal infrastructure further compounded implementation challenges.

Uttam Kumar Reddy has directed officials to compile detailed progress reports and execution schedules for all active regional projects. Additionally, officials have been instructed to prioritize desiltation of minor irrigation reservoirs and undertake critical canal maintenance work before the monsoon season, while simultaneously upgrading water distribution systems across the region.