Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy visited Jurala Project on Saturday and assured people that, the key Irrigation Project built on Krishna river is safe.
Uttam Kumar Reddy made it a point to visit and personally inspect Jurala Project, as Opposition leader KT Rama Rao made serious allegations about the safety of the project.
BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged that Jurala, Manjeera and other old irrigation projects are facing several serious issues, as Congress Govt has been neglecting them completely and not even taking up regularly repairs and maintenance works.
“BRS leaders are simply trying to do false propaganda and mislead farmers on irrigation projects. The complaints made by KTR regarding ropes and stroke gates at Jurala are a non-issue, and engineers and technical experts have clearly confirmed there is no threat to the dam’s operations. All the 62 gates are regularly checked and are in perfect condition, ” said Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, after inspecting Jurala Project.
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged, if there are any problems in Telangana irrigation projects, it is because of 10-year BRS rule. He reasoned that KCR Sarkar put all its focus on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, which earned them commissions and neglected maintenance of old irrigation projects, as there was no scope for earning commissions in old projects.
“We are systematically restoring every project ignored by BRS- Jurala, Manjeera, Nagarjuna Sagar, SRSP, Kalwakurthy, Koilsagar, Bhima – with top priority for Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. Even minimum operation and maintenance works were not carried out at Jurala under BRS rule. There was no routine desiltation, no sediment or vegetation removal, and no upgrades.
Jurala’s storage capacity has dropped by nearly 20–25 percent due to silt accumulation,” explained Uttam Kumar Reddy speaking at the Jurala Project.
Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on the occasion that, Rs 400 Cr has been sanctioned for Jurala Project by Revanth Reddy Sarkar.
Rs 300 Cr will be spent towards installing a second gantry crane at Jurala and taking up maintenance works like systematic desiltation and vegetation removal. Rs 100 Cr will be spent towards building an alternative bridge at Jurala, to lessen the stress of vehicular movement on the dam.
