Ministers Nimmala Ramanaidu and Gottipati Ravi Kumar said that the Andhra Pradesh government was intensifying efforts to resolve inter-State issues surrounding the Gundrevula project and to advance its proposed irrigation and drinking water projects in western Kurnool during their visit to Mantralayam on Monday.
They said that the government was seeking an amicable resolution to issues relating to Gundrevula and the RDS-Rajolibanda Diversion projects, while giving special attention to irrigation and drinking water schemes in western Kurnool. “Providing water security to Rayalaseema has been a priority of the NDA coalition government. The government is also committed to completing major irrigation projects initiated during earlier TDP governments,” they said.
Taking a dig at the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), the Ministers alleged that the previous government had neglected irrigation in the region despite winning 49 of Rayalaseema’s 52 Assembly seats in 2019.
They claimed that the TDP government spent nearly ₹12,000 crore on irrigation in Rayalaseema between 2014 and 2019, compared to the ₹2,000 crore spent by the YSRCP government between 2019 and 2024. “The coalition government has spent ₹27,000 crore on irrigation across the State in its first two years, with nearly half of it going to the four Rayalaseema districts,” they said.
The Ministers said that ₹17 crore would be allocated for pending bills and maintenance of Guru Raghavendra motors in western Kurnool. meanwhile, the ₹1,600-crore Vedavathi project is targeted for completion by 2029, they added. They said that ₹60 crore had been allocated for repairs to the Gorakallu reservoir and steps were being undertaken to supply water to Kadapa and Pulivendula through Gandikota and Chitravathi.
On Handri-Neeva project, they said the government was currently transporting 3,800 cusecs and had sanctioned ₹1,300 crore for the Neeva branch and ₹700 crore for Madakasira respectively.
The Ministers reiterated that irrigation and drinking water supply to Rayalaseema remained the coalition government’s primary objective.
