17-05-2025
Minister promises swift completion of Handri-Neeva works
Thamballapalle(annamayya dist): Minister for Irrigation Nimmala Rama Naidu said that transforming Rayalaseema into a region of prosperity is the top priority of the State government, and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan are working with that vision in mind.
The minister was speaking after inspecting the Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) works at Dommanabavi in Thamballapalle constituency of Annamayya district on Friday. Accompanied by local MLA Shahjahan Basha, irrigation officials, engineers, and TDP leaders, Rama Naidu performed a ceremonial ground-breaking (bhumi puja) for the pending works and issued directives to expedite the construction.
Speaking to the media, the minister emphasised that the Chandrababu Naidu-led government is giving the highest importance to irrigation. 'We are committed to completing all irrigation projects in full scale to provide both drinking and irrigation water to the people,' he said.
He pointed out that while the previous TDP government had completed nearly 90 percent of the Handri-Neeva works, the remaining 10 percent was left unfinished by the former administration, leading to dry canals and unused infrastructure. 'Due to negligence, not a drop of water is flowing in the canals today,' he remarked.
The minister also criticised the past government's alleged mismanagement of sand at the summer storage points, which he said led to indiscriminate excavation and depletion. He directed officials to complete pending works at the earliest, particularly before the upcoming monsoon. The government plans to desilt tanks and restore their storage capacity to ensure rainwater can be effectively stored.
'As per the Chief Minister's instructions, we are focusing on delivering water to the last acre of farmland in Rayalaseema. This includes both drinking and irrigation water across the final reaches of the ayacut areas,' Rama Naidu added.
Officials of the irrigation department including SEs, EEs, and AEs, along with public representatives, local TDP and Jana Sena leaders, and several party workers were present.
