Minister releases water from Pattiseema Lift Project

Minister for Water Resources Development Nimmala Ramanaidu released the Godavari water to the Krishna delta by switching on the motors of Pattiseema Lift Scheme at Pattiseema near Polavaram on Wednesday.
The Minister performed pooja and gave the traditional harati to the Godavari water and later switched on the motors in the pump house of Pattiseema lift scheme. Water gushed out of 2, 4 and 6 channels of Pattiseema project to the canal. The Minister was flanked by Eluru district Collector K Vetri Selvi and MLAs Ch Balaraju, P Dharma Raju and M Venkatesara Rao.
Later talking to the media, Minister Rama Naidu said that water released today through the Pattiseema, Tadipudi, Purushothapatnam and Pushkar lift irrigation projects. Releasing water through the four lift irrigation project is a record, the Minister claimed.
He informed that 8000 cusecs of water being released through the Pattiseema lift scheme, 875 cusecs of water through Tadipudi lift scheme, 3,500 cusecs of water through Purushothapatnam lift scheme and 1200 cusecs of water is being released through the Pushkar lift irrigation project
The Minister stated that through the Pattiseema Lift Scheme, water was provided to the Krishna delta in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He said that 10 lakh acres were irrigated with the water supplied through the Pattiseema lift scheme. The farmers cultivated over Rs 40,000 crore worth crops using the water supplied through the Pattiseema lift project.
Releasing the Godavari water from the Pattiseema lift scheme enables the farmers to commence their kharif crop operations without waiting for rains, he added.  The Minister said that 20 TMCs of water would be supplied to the Krishna delta through the Pattiseema lift scheme.
Minister Ramanaidu described the Pattiseema lift scheme as a’ Bangaru seema’ to the Krishna delta. Stating that the Naidu headed government is giving priority for the irrigation projects, he said that all pending irrigation projects would be completed expeditiously.
He also made it clear that the water storage at Yeleru reservoir would be increased to provide drinking water to the people of north AP. Water would also be provided to the Visakhapatnam Steel plant, he added.
The erstwhile YSRCP regime made a historical blunder by changing the construction agency of Polavaram project. The Polavaram Project Authority had cautioned the YSRCP led government not to replace the construction agency but disregarding the advice, the then government changed agency consequently the works of the project came to grinding halt.  
The Minister said that Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu is determined to overcome the problems in the construction of the Polavaram project at the earliest and complete the construction of the project expeditiously. Minister Ramanaidu said that the problems of the displaced people will also be identified and resolved on priority basis. ITDA PO M Suryateja, RDO K Addayya, Irrigation SE Narasimha Murthy and a host of officials were present.