CM inaugurates twin tunnels of Veligonda project

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Wednesday, inaugurated the 18.82-km-long twin tunnels of Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project and dedicated them to the nation by unveiling the project pylon.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the project tunnels here, the Chief Minister expressed happiness that he is inaugurating the project for which foundation stone was laid by his father and former Chief Minister Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy in 2004.
He said he was indebted to God for giving him the opportunity of travelling through the tunnels that would fulfil the two-decade old dreams and aspirations of the region’s people.
He said that the total length of two tunnels stands at around 37 km. “After the launch of the project, the work of the tunnels up to a distance of 20 km was completed by 2014. However, the work moved at a snail’s pace during the TDP rule.
Only 6.6 km was completed during that period.
“In a record time, we have finished the rest of the work of 11 km. It is a God-written script that I have completed the work that began during my father’s time,” he said.
The project provides irrigation facilities to 4.47 lakh acres and drinking water to 15.25 lakh fluoride-affected people in drought-prone areas of 23 mandals of Prakasam, five mandals of Nellore and two mandals of Kadapa districts, the Chief Minister added.
The project would solve the drinking water scarcity in Yarragonda Palem, Darsi, Kanigiri, Udayagiri, Atmakuru Giddaluru and Budvel constituencies, he said.
He further said that the government will have to spend Rs 1,200 crore on the LA and RR package for filling the reservoir and it would be completed by July or August.
The Chief Minister later introduced YSRCP candidates from the district to the people and urged them to elect the candidates with a good majority.
The project will draw 43.50 TMC of floodwater from the foreshores of the Srisailam Project Reservoir through Kollam Vagu and a feeder canal and store it in the Nallamala (Veligonda) Sagar Reservoir that has a storing capacity of 53.85 TMC.
While the project’s Stage-1 distributor canal will irrigate 1, 19,000 acres, the Stage-2 canal will supply irrigation water to 3, 28,300 acres.
The project will supply 2.25 TMCs of drinking water to 1,657 villages in seven Assembly constituencies of Prakasam district through the water grid scheme, while another 2.58 TMCs will be supplied from the Nallamala Sagar Reservoir to the mega industrial hub to be established by the APIIC Donakonda in Prakasam district.
Another 1.27 TMCs of water will be supplied to the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) being set up in Pamuru and Peda Cherlopalle mandals.