Govt. plans to complete Devadula within a year, lift max. water with available pumping capacity

Ministers N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and D. Seethakka reviewing the progress of Devadula project in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: By Arrangement HYDERABADIrrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday stated that the government had decided to put the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme on fast track with the objective of completing the long-pending project within a year.Speaking after reviewing the progress of project works here, he said special attention would be paid to Devadula and all impediments in its completion would be addressed on priority basis. “It is unfortunate that a project of such an importance and taken up nearly two decades ago has remained incomplete because of the neglect by successive governments,” he observed.He stated that the project was designed to lift about 38 tmc ft of Godavari water and provide irrigation to nearly six-lakh acres in Hanumakonda, Warangal, Karimnagar, Jangaon, Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri, Suryapet, Siddipet, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts. Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and D. Seethakka, several MLAs, MPs of the command areas and officials participated in the meeting.During the review, the project’s progress was examined component by component, identified the bottlenecks that held up different works and discussed specific measures required to overcome them, he stated. The focus was on land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) and forest-related issues.The minister said the government would release the required funds immediately wherever the land acquisition process and award procedures were completed. The Chief Minister had assured a special package of ₹5,000 crore for irrigation projects under construction across Telangana and of which about ₹2,500 crore was released already, he noted.Another important decision taken at Tuesday’s review, according to Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy, was to ensure maximum possible pumping or lifting of water from the Godavari through the Devadula system. He stated that all available pumping facilities should be optimally operated so that the maximum quantity of water could be conveyed to the command areas and reservoirs served by the project.The meeting further dwelt into the problems encountered during the implementation of Devadula over the years and discussed practical solutions to clear each of the remaining obstacles. “The Chief Minister wants Devadula to be completed on a fast track to ensure the intended benefits reach the farmers at the earliest,” Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said. Published - August 25, 2026 08:24 pm IST