‘Forest clearance for Indira Sagar in a month’

KHAMMAM: Forest clearance for the Rs. 2000-crore Indira sagar lift scheme was expected in a months’ time, according to Sathupalli MLA Jalagam Venkata Rao.

Addressing a news conference here on Sunday, Mr. Venkata Rao said that all the formalities were fulfilled for obtaining the clearance. The works on certain packages of the project were expected to gain momentum once the clearance was obtained. He said the implementation of the project, especially the laying of the pipelines, would require 87.18 hectares of forest land.

It would be compensated with alternative land identified in Aswaraopet mandal. Farmers were already paid compensation for the land acquired from them for the purpose. The cooperation of the farmers helped in speedy completion of the land acquisition procedures.

Pump house

He said that the works were in full swing in the packages which involved no forest land.

The pump house construction at the off-take point of the scheme would be completed by August 2009. The project was expected to help irrigate over two lakh acres of land in Khammam, Krishna and West Godavari districts.

Water for ayacut

Moves were afoot for giving water to part of the ayacut in Khammam district with the flood flow from Pedavagu -- one of the medium irrigation projects -- well before completion of main component of the scheme.