CM Directs Swift Land Acquisition for PRLIS Project
CM Revanth Reddy directs officials to accelerate irrigation works in Palamuru region; government vows speedy fund release and project execution
HYDERABAD, May 20: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday directed officials to complete the PRLIS land acquisition process on a war footing and speed up pending irrigation works in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.
Chairing a high-level review meeting with ministers, MLAs and senior officials, the Chief Minister assessed the progress of the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme and other ongoing irrigation projects in the region. He stressed that delays in land acquisition should be eliminated immediately to ensure faster implementation of major water infrastructure works.
Revanth Reddy assured public representatives that the state government would provide adequate financial support for land procurement and clear all pending project bills at the earliest. He also instructed district ministers to regularly review irrigation works in their respective districts and maintain close monitoring of project execution.
The meeting was attended by Ministers Jupally Krishna Rao and Vakiti Srihari, Government Whip Yennam Srinivas Reddy, several MLAs and senior bureaucrats, including Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao.
Govt Gives Priority to Palamuru Irrigation Projects
Later, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy held discussions with legislators from the Mahbubnagar region and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing irrigation projects on priority.
He stated that the Congress government was closely tracking the execution of Palamuru projects and actively working to remove hurdles slowing down construction activities. According to the minister, projects in the region are being treated on par with key irrigation schemes such as Devadula, SLBC and Sita Rama projects.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also accused the previous BRS government of neglecting the Palamuru region and creating obstacles in the execution of the PRLIS project. Rejecting claims that 90 per cent of the works had already been completed, he described such assertions as misleading and far from reality.
The minister pointed out that shifting the project’s off-take point from Jurala to the Srisailam Reservoir created major complications for the scheme. He further noted that canal network tenders floated earlier became ineffective due to incomplete land acquisition, resulting in implementation delays.
Jurala Reservoir Desilting Plans Underway
Highlighting concerns over sediment accumulation in the Jurala Project, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the reservoir’s storage capacity had fallen below eight TMC due to heavy silt deposits.
He informed the meeting that proposals had already been submitted to the Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking assistance under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP). The government expects the proposed desilting initiative to enhance storage capacity, improve operational efficiency and strengthen dam safety.
Officials were also instructed to fast-track desilting operations in minor irrigation tanks, repair damaged canals and strengthen water distribution systems before the onset of the monsoon.
Drinking Water Supply Planned for Over 1,200 Villages
The minister said Phase-I of the PRLIS project aims to provide drinking water facilities to 1,226 villages spread across Nagarkurnool, Mahbubnagar, Narayanpet, Vikarabad, Rangareddy and Nalgonda districts.
He added that another review meeting on Palamuru irrigation projects would be conducted within two weeks to reassess progress, identify priority works and ensure faster completion of the projects.
