12-05-2025
Land acquisition for SHLC soon: Anam
Nellore: Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy has said that as part of the initiative in completing the irrigation projects, the government has decided to start land acquisition related to Somasila High Level Canal (SHLC) very soon.
Addressing a press conference at his camp office here on Sunday, the Minister disclosed that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has ordered the Chief Secretary to release funds for SHLC land acquisition in the recent Cabinet meeting. He said if SHLC is completed, farmers of Atmakur constituency will have enough water for both agriculture operations and drinking water purpose in the coming days.
Alleging that the previous government totally neglected irrigation projects, Anam said that it was Chief Minister Naidu, who is giving top priority to complete pending projects in the State.
As part of this initiative, Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi works came to completion and water will be released for irrigation to Kuppam constituency, represented by the CM, by ending of this year.
The Minister stated that he witnessed water being released hardly to 1.8 lakh acres during his 45-year-long political journey, but for the first time in the history of Nellore district, water was released for 5.24 lakh acres during second crop in the erstwhile Nellore district.
He analysed that apart from 22 tmcft of water allocated for two lakh acres in delta area, 16 tmcft for 1.64 lakh acres in non-delta areas from Somasila reservoir. Another 16 tmcft from Telugu Ganga Project for 36,000 acres in Venkatagiri, Sullurpet and Gudur constituencies in the erstwhile Nellore district and 1.24 lakh acres in Srikalahasti and Sullurpet constituencies and 10 tmcft of water for Tirupati and Srikalahasti town for drinking water purpose. On this occasion, Minister Anam has distributed Rs 37 lakh to 22 beneficiaries under CMRF in Atmakur constituency.