The Andhra Pradesh government is gearing up for an intensive review of irrigation infrastructure across the North Coastal region, as Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu prepares to visit the North Andhra districts. According to Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu, CM Naidu will personally inspect the status of long-pending irrigation projects and issue directives to expedite completion.
Uttarandhra irrigation projects in focus
In a high-level review meeting, Minister Ramanaidu asserted that the North Coastal region had seen negligible investment in irrigation during the YSRCP government. He highlighted that the flagship scheme Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi, launched under the previous regime, had effectively been stalled.
The current government has allocated over ₹2,000 crore to complete nine key projects within a two-year period. They include the BRR Vamsadhara Project, Thotapalli Project, Vamsadhara–Nagavali Link, Janjavathi Reservoir, Hiramandalam Lift, Nagavali–Champavathi Link, Mahendra Tanaya Project, Tarakarama Teertha Sagar and Madduvalasa Reservoir. Nimmala added that the government has now designated these as priority projects and is giving special attention to resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) work along with other pending components.
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Additional 1.24 lakh acres in North Andhra region to get irrigation
These projects are likely to bring an additional 1.24 lakh acres under new irrigation and stabilise irrigation over 2.48 lakh acres of land in the Uttarandhra region, benefiting drought-prone areas and enhancing agricultural productivity.
Ramanaidu emphasised that the coalition government considers it an obligation to ‘repay the long-standing debt’ to the people of North Andhra.
During his upcoming tour, Chandrababu Naidu will review the execution status of each of the nine priority irrigation schemes. He will issue time-bound directions to heads of departments and executing agencies to achieve the two-year completion target. Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu will ensure that rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) works for displaced or impacted individuals progress alongside civil works. He will monitor fund utilisation and actively deploy the allocated ₹2,000 crore-plus budget for the Uttarandhra region. Naidu will also engage with district-level officials to identify bottlenecks and outline corrective measures.
Senior officials, including Water Resources Department Advisor M Venkateswara Rao, CEs, SEs and EEs were present. The emphasis on maximum irrigation with minimal expenditure and targeting drought-prone regions suggests a two-pronged objective: reviving neglected regions and utilising state resources more effectively.
