The Final Stretch: ₹700-Crore Sitarama Project Nears Completion

Tummala Nageswara Rao, Minister for Agriculture, Cooperation, Marketing and Handlooms, has directed officials to accelerate work on the Sathupalli trunk canal under the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project to ensure timely supply of Godavari River water to ayacut areas ahead of the monsoon.

During a field inspection from Thotti Pump House to Yatlakunta, the minister reviewed progress with officials, engineers, and public representatives, stressing the need to eliminate delays and speed up execution.

The 43-km canal project is designed to irrigate around 1.46 lakh acres. Of the estimated ₹700 crore cost, works worth about ₹600 crore have already been completed. Rao set strict timelines, directing that the remaining 30 metres of the Yatlakunta terminal be finished within 15 days, key structures be completed before flood inflows, and all structural works be wrapped up by the end of May. Tunnel works are also to be completed before the monsoon.

Officials were instructed to immediately escalate any delays related to land acquisition or legal issues, noting that funds for land procurement have already been released. He also emphasised coordination between Khammam district and Bhadradri Kothagudem district for smooth execution.

The project is expected to significantly expand irrigation coverage across multiple mandals and constituencies, with additional lift irrigation and canal extensions planned to boost agricultural productivity in the region.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.