Somasila reservoir works will start soon: Anam

Minister for Endowment Anam Ramanarayana Reddy has said that the works of Somasila reservoir project will begin soon and will be completed at the earliest.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, the Minister said that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inspected the Somasila project recently and he was explained about the reservoir works to be carried out by the engineers. The Chief directed the officials to carry out repairs to the apron and crest gates. He assured of releasing required funds for the purpose.
 The Chief Minister laid special focus on the safety of the Somasila project and discussed the matter with the engineers, he noted, alleging that the erstwhile YSRCP government had neglected the maintenance of major irrigation projects in the state. Since the Annamayy dam washed away in the floods, the heavy flood water gushed into the Somasila project causing damage to the apron of the project, he explained.
“Appeals have been made for the last three years to the government to carry out repairs to the Somasila reservoir and the apron of the project. But the erstwhile YSRCP government did not regard the cautions of engineers. Now the Naidu led new government has approved to carry out required works,” Ramanarayana Reddy acknowledged.
The Minister said that the farmers in the region expressed their concern cautioning that the Somasila project dam might be washed away as like the Annamayya project, unless repairs were carried out at the earliest.
Minister Ramnarayana Reddy justified the removal of the name of the Sangam barrage which was given by the previous government. Minister for Water Resources Development Nimmala Ramanaidu had inspected the Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs and the engineers briefed him about the projects’ status, the Endowment Minister observed. “The Government has released Rs 5 crore to carry out repairs to the head regulator through which water is released to the Kandaleru project. The Somasila high level canal works have come to halt since the second phase of works were carried out before completing the works of the first phase,” the Minister claimed.  
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials to complete the AS High Level canals works, Padamati Naidupalli and Ponguru reservoirs’ works expeditiously to provide irrigation water to 20,000 acres, Anam Ramnarayana Reddy informed. MLA Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy was also present.