CHITTOOR, FEB 26    :   Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday released water from Kuppam Branch Canal that would irrigate 6300 acres afresh in Kuppam constituency and provide drinking water to 4.02 lakh people in Kuppam and Palamaner constituencies.

Addressing a huge public meeting at Gundisettipalle, after conducting special prayers at the canal and releasing water at Rajupet in Ramakuppam mandal, the Chief Minister said the Government worked with strong commitment for the development of the constituency though it was totally neglected during the TDP rule.

Sating that the release of water from Kuppam Branch Canal would be written in golden letters in the region’s history, Reddy said he has fulfilled his promise given to the people in a public meeting at Kuppam on September 23, 2022.

After giving administrative sanction to Kuppam Branch Canal in 2015 and giving contract to his benamis, the then Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu treated it as a canal of money flow into his pockets but abandoned it later as he couldn’t find the flow enough, he said.

Though Naidu abandoned it, the YSRCP Government had striven hard to bring Krishna water to Kuppam, 540 meters upstream and 670 km away from Srisailam as part of the Handri Neeva Project, the CM said.

The 123.641 km long Kuppam Branch Canal was constructed with a cost of Rs. 560.29 crore under the AVR HNSS Project Phase-2 to strengthen the ayacut connecting 110 minor irrigation tanks in Kuppam constituency. He said that the Government has upgraded Kuppam from panchayat to municipality besides establishing a Revenue Division and a police sub-division for Kuppam.

Reddy said Rs.66 crore has been sanctioned for various development works in Kuppam municipality and Rs. 100 crore for development works in four Mandals of Kuppam constituency besides giving administrative approvals for construction of Rs.215 crore reservoir as part of Palar project.

It may be mentioned here that ‘Kuppam’ is the Telugu Desam Party Chief Chandrababu Naidu’s constituency from where he has been elected for seven times since 1989.

The Government has also given administrative approvals for the construction of two reservoirs at Madanapalle near Shantipuram Mandal and Yamigani Palle near Gudipalli Mandal with a cost of Rs. 535 crore. These reservoirs will irrigate an additional 5000 acres, he said.
Earlier, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of Palar project.(UNI)