KCR to showcase Mission Bhagiratha to Narendra Modi

After giving a power point presentation on irrigation projects and their redesigning in the Assembly, Chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is likely to give another power point presentation on Mission Bhagiratha project, it's functioning, and benefits during prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Telangana to inaugurate various development projects.

Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Mission Bhagiratha in Gajwel in Medak district when he visits Telangana on Augusts 7.

The ongoing works on mission Bhagiratha (water grid) at Kadam project was shot, using drone cameras by the experts came from Hyderabad at the behest of top irrigation department officials.

Deputy Engineer of the Kadam water grid Venkatapathi, who supervised the shooting said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would use this footage  in a power point presentation, showing Mission Bhagiratha’s  implementation at various places in the state, during PM’s visit.

Work on the Kadam water grid was taken up at a cost of Rs 400 crore. The TS government has been appealing to the Centre for special funds for flagship programs, Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya, the PM’s visit serving as the ideal occasion to showcase these projects. It would draw attention to the scheme and justify the seeking of funds.

Water grid works gain momenturm

The state government is focusing on early completion of pipe-laying works and providing drinking water to the identified habitations in time under Mission Bhagiratha. 

Senior TRS leaders have reiterated that they will not ask for votes in the next elections without providing drinking water.

Pipe- laying works is going on at a brisk pace at various places despite rains and farmers are raising crops in the fields through which pipelines will pass at some places.

The early completion of water grid works and providing drinking water to every household has assumed importance in the wake news that TRS party may go for mid –elections.  

The state government has instructed the officials concerned to complete the pipe- laying work and supply drinking water to 169 habitations in Luxettipet, Kerameri, Laxamanchanda and Nirmal mandals under the first phase of Mission Bagiratha in district by August30.

Minister for forest and environment Jogu Ramanna laid the foundation stone to overhead tank (OHR) being constructed at a cost of 1. 57 crores at Devapur crossroads- to supply drinking water to 250 habitations in Adilabad Assembly constituency.

The minister said 1,42,399 people would get drinking water in the constituency, with this reaching all habitations by December2017, that is one year before the 2019 elections.

According to official sources, Mission Bhagiratha works taken up at a cost of Rs 1,778 crore to provide drinking water to 1,170 habitations in Nirmal, Adilabad and Boath Assembly constituencies lifting the water from SRSP under the scheme.  

The state government has postponed by a month the launch of the water supply for every household under scheme due to delay completion of works. It had actually given deadline of July 30 for launching supply of drinking water to the houses under mission Bhagiratha.  

Pipe- laying work is still in progress and the Rural Water Supply (RWS) will install taps in the habitations after completion of water grid pipe laying work. Construction work on Kadem intake well alone has been completed so far, and Yellampalli, Komurambheem, Nirmal yet to be completed.

RWS officials are planning to visit the Gajwel in Medak, represented by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, to see the model drinking water supply scheme there and replicate it in Adilabad.

The higher officials asked the district officials to take steps to supply drinking water to total 116 habitations instead 66 in Kerameri mandal under the first phase.

Vattivagu project to be shelved

Vattivagu project 

Komuram Bheem project right canal works in progress

The Vattivagu medium irrigation project located near Pahadibanda in Asifabad mandal will soon disappear and a new opencast mine or exertion of Dorli opencast mine will come up in the backwater of the project.

With the Komuram Bheem project becoming operational, Vattivagu project will be shelved forever without making repairs and laying new canals in place of damaged one.

Actually the Komuram Bheem project was planned to irrigate only 20,000 acres under left canal against the proposed 39,000 acres and the right canal was proposed to irrigate 6,000 acre in Asifabad mandal. 

The canal works of right canal works of Komuram Bheem are in progress as part of Mission Bhagiratha.

The Singareni may start its coal excavation activities in dried up Vattivagu project where it found huge coal deposits and the place is just attached to exiting Dorli opencast mine.

The Vattivagu project will be linked to right canal of Komuram Bheem project. The soil excavated from the Dorli opencast project is dumping close to the Vattivagu project and the soil is flowing into reservoir every rainy season and huge siltation deposited in the project waters sinking the storage capacity of the project.

The local Adivasis and fishing community people alleged that Singareni has been deliberately dumping ash heaps to make the project irrelevant and sink its storage capacity so that they will start opencast mining in the backwaters of project in near future.

Former Asifabad MLA Atram Sakku said that the left and right canals of Vattivagu project were fully damaged and water will not flow downstream only for one km through canals and  funds have not been sanctioned for the project repairs and canals.

It is said that the right canal of the Vattivagu project may be linked with the right canal of the Komuram Bheem project. 

Actually the Vattivagu project was envisaged to irrigate 24,500 acres covering 30 villages in Asifabad and Rebbena mandals.

The project was breached few times due to heavy rains and temporary repairs were done to strengthen the bund close to the crest gates in the past.  The vattivagu project was constructed on Vattivagu stream which was tributary to the river Godavari.