Dad Started It, I've Completed It: CM Jagan on Veligonda Project, Says It's a Proud Moment

Yeguva Cherlopalli (Prakasam Dist), March 6: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurated the 18.82 km long twin tunnels of the Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project and dedicated them to the nation by unveiling the project pylon. Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the project tunnels here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister expressed happiness that he was inaugurating the project for which the foundation stone was laid by his father and former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2004. He said he was indebted to God for giving him the opportunity to travel through the tunnels that would fulfil the two-decade-old dreams and aspirations of the region’s people.

He mentioned 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. However, the work moved at a snail’s pace during the TDP rule which completed only a 6.6 km span of work. "In a record time, we have finished the rest of the work relating to 11 km. 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, five Mandals of Nellore, and two Mandals of Kadapa districts, the Chief Minister added. The project would solve the drinking water problems of people in Yarragonda Palem, Darsi, Kanigiri, Udayagiri, Atmakuru Giddaluru, and Budvel constituencies, he said.

Moreover, the government will have to spend Rs. 1200 crore on the LA and RR package for filling the reservoir, which is expected to be completed by July or August. The Chief Minister later introduced YSRCP candidates from the district to the people and called upon them to elect the candidates with a good majority in the forthcoming elections.

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, which has a storing capacity of 53.85 TMC of water. While the project’s stage-1 distributor canal will irrigate 119,000 acres, the stage-2 canal will supply irrigation water to 328,300 acres.

Additionally, the project will supply 2.25 TMCs of drinking water to 1,657 villages in 7 assembly constituencies of Prakasam district through the water grid scheme. 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 will be supplied to the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) being set up in Pamuru and Peda Cherlopalle Mandals in Prakasam district.