On Monday, Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu inaugurated Phase-I of the Veligonda irrigation project. This significant development included the release of Krishna water into the Nallamala Sagar reservoir, marking a crucial step in enhancing the region’s irrigation capabilities.
Responding to YS Jagan, TDP working president and Minister Nara Lokesh defended the government’s position. He argued that the present government had completed key pending works and was now delivering water to the people. Phase-I will release about 10.70 TMC of Krishna water, according to the government. It is expected to provide irrigation to around 1.19 lakh acres and drinking water to nearly four lakh people. When the full project is completed, officials say it could irrigate about 4.47 lakh acres. The government said his administration recently speeded up the remaining works and paid Rs 768 crore in rehabilitation compensation to 6,206 displaced families. YSRCP also claimed that 20.33 km of tunnel work was completed during the YSR period, 6.686 km during Naidu’s 2014-19 government, and the remaining 10.568 km during Jagan’s government.
The Veligonda project was discussed for nearly three decades, and now, with its inauguration, the TDP government said the project will bring much-needed irrigation and drinking water to drought-prone areas of Markapuram, Prakasam, Nellore, and Kadapa districts. YSR Congress Party leaders said Naidu is taking credit for work mainly carried out during the governments of former Chief Ministers YS Rajasekhara Reddy and YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. Former CM and YSRCP chief YS Jagan said on X that Veligonda was his father YSR’s dream and claimed that the most difficult twin-tunnel works were completed during the YSRCP government. He accused Naidu of trying to “rewrite the history” of the project. The ruling TDP-led NDA, however, said the present government overcame the final hurdles and made the project ready to release water. In his X post, Lokesh said Jagan was trying to claim credit for a project that had remained incomplete for years.
