Metro India News | AMARAVATI

State Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said on Wednesday that the program to make the state drought-free should start with Handrineeva. He held a video conference with the concerned officials on the progress of work on the Handrineeva project at his Vijayawada camp office. Minister Ramanaidu informed that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is moving ahead with the ambition of diverting Krishna and Godavari waters to Rayalaseema so as to make it a fertile region “Ratanalaseema”(land of jewels).

He suggested to the officials that the Handri-Neeva project should be a good start to the Chief Minister’s endeavor and that it is for this reason that in this Financial Year 2025-26’s budget, the highest allocation of Rs 3,243 crore has been made for Handri-Neeva. He urged all the officials and engineers to embrace the spirit and complete the work on a war footing.

The government has kept a target of completing the first phase of Handri-Neeva works by June 2025. Special Chief Secretary (Irrigation) Sai Prasad, Engineer-in-Chief M.Venkateswara Rao, project Chief Engineers, Superintendent Engineers and Executive Engineers and representatives of the agency participated in the video conference. In the same context, Minister Ramanaidu referred to the injustice done to the Handri-Neeva project during the YSRCP regime.

He said that during the 2014-19 TDP regime, Rs 4,000 crore was spent on Handri Neeva project whereas only Rs 500 crores was spent during the YSRCP regime of 2019-24. He blamed YS Jagan government for not completing the project due to which injustice had been done to Rayalaseema.