Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao on Friday directed the engineers to prepare a comprehensive irrigation plan for Adilabad district within a week by ensuring creation of irrigation potential of at least one-lakh acres in every constituency.
In a review meeting with Advisor R. Vidyasagar Rao, Engineer-in-Chief C. Muralidhar, Chief Engineers B. Shankar and M. Ramesh, Managing Director of Telangana State Irrigation Development Corporation J. Sridevi and engineers from Adilabad district, the Minister said it was unfortunate that only 28.5 per cent of cultivable land in the district was being irrigated under major, medium and minor irrigation schemes. The district which had an annual average rainfall of 1,157 mm with several rivers, rivulets and streams, had 21.92 lakh acres of cultivable land. However, the neglect of previous government had restricted the irrigation facility only to 6.25 lakh acres out of it, he noted.
Mr. Muralidhar explained that there was a possibility to create irrigation potential to another 12.32 lakh acres under various schemes. The Minister asked the district engineers to send proposal on schemes sanctioned under AIBP, JICA, RRR, NABARD and others but pending completion so that they could be completed by June next year.
The engineers stated that about 44,500 acres could be irrigated under 127 minor irrigation schemes that were given hydraulic clearances but detailed project reports were not prepared. The Minister agreed to get the DPR done with the help of private agencies.
