This Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme issue is again back in news,and honestly,it feels like same old story of farmers waiting while project cost keeps going up . CPI State secretary G. Eswaraiah has now made strong appeal to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu,asking him to release necessary funds and speed up long-pending work.
And this is not some new proposal also . Project was introduced nearly 17 years ago to lift water from Godavari River and supply irrigation and drinking water to upland areas of erstwhile West Godavari district and parts of Eluru and NTR districts.
The Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme was originally launched in 2008 during administration of former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy . At that time,estimated cost was ₹1,701 crore . Then in 2017,it was expanded to cover additional areas in current NTR district.
Now revised project cost has gone up to ₹4,909 crore . That jump itself says enough about what delays do to public projects . Plan is to lift around 53.5 tmc ft of water and irrigate nearly 4.8 lakh acres of land .
Few things standing out clearly here:
- Groundwater levels are declining in several mandals within Chintalapudi and Polavaram constituencies.
- Farmers want compensation based on current market value,not old rates.
- Project is being seen as lifeline for drought-affected upland regions.
And tbh,this is where farmer anger makes sense . If groundwater is falling and people are forced to depend on deep borewells,it is not sustainable ah . Borewell after borewell means more cost,more risk and no guarantee of water.
Eswaraiah has pointed out that land acquisition delays are becoming big barrier for project completion . Farmers are reportedly not against development,but they want fair compensation for land based on present market values . That demand does not sound unreasonable at all.
He has urged government to speed up land acquisition,give just compensation to affected families and complete irrigation scheme within timeframe set by Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu . On paper,it sounds simple . But these things have been pending for years only .
And at same time,question is how long upland farmers should keep waiting for water that was promised nearly 17 years ago . Costs have changed,land values have changed,groundwater situation has changed… but actual relief is still hanging somewhere in between…
