ONGOLE, MAR 6   :    Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the 18.82 km long twin tunnels of Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project and dedicated them to the nation by unveiling the project pylon at Yeguva Cherlopalli in Prakasam district on Wednesday.

Addressing a public meeting on the occasion, the Chief Minister expressed happiness that he was dedicating the projects to the nation. The Chief Minister recalled that the foundation stone was laid for the Veligonda project by his father and former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2004.

He said that the total length of two tunnels stands at around 37 km and after launching the project, the work of the tunnels was completed up to a distance of 20 km by 2014 but the work moved at a snail’s pace during the TDP rule which completed only 6.6 km span of work.

“In a record time, we have completed the rest of the work relating to the 11 km of tunnel. It is a God-written script that I have completed the work that began during my father’s time,” he said.

“The project provides irrigation facilities to 4.47 lakh acres and drinking water to 15.25 lakh fluoride-affected people in drought-prone areas of 23 Mandals of Prakasam district and five Mandals of Nellore district and two Mandals of Kadapa district,” the Chief Minister added.
The project would resolve the drinking water problems of people in Yerragondapalem, Darsi, Kanigiri, Udayagiri, Atmakuru Giddaluru and Budvel constituencies, the Chief Minister informed. .

He further said that the Government will have to spend Rs. 1200 crore on the LA and RR package for filling the reservoir and it would be completed by July or August.

“The project will draw 43.50 TMC of floodwater from the foreshores of the Srisailam Project Reservoir through Kollam Vagu and a feeder canal and store it in the Nallamala (Veligonda) Sagar Reservoir that has a storing capacity of 53.85 TMC of water,” the Chief Minister explained. While the project’s stage-1 distributor canal will irrigate 1, 19,000acres, stage-2 canal will supply irrigation water to 3,
28,300 acres, he stated.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said: “The project will supply 2.25 TMCs of drinking water to 1657 villages in 7 assembly constituencies of Prakasam district through the water grid scheme while another 2.58 TMCs of water will be supplied from the Nallamala Sagar Reservoir to the mega industrial hub to be established by the APIIC Donakonda in Prakasam district.”

Another 1.27 TMCs of water would be supplied to the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) being set up in Pamuru and Peda Cherlopalli Mandals in Prakasam district, he made it clear.(UNI)