Govt working in accordance with Sir Cotton’s vision: Minister

Metro India News | VIJAYAWADA

Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu stated that the state government is completing major irrigation projects in accordance with the vision of Sir Arthur Cotton. On Friday, the Minister paid rich floral tributes to a portrait of Sir Arthur Cotton at the Water Resources Department’s camp office in Vijayawada on the occasion of the engineer’s birth anniversary. Describing Cotton as a great visionary, Ramanaidu said that though he was British, the engineer demonstrated remarkable foresight by constructing the Dowleswaram and Krishna Barrages along with an extensive network of canals in the Godavari and Krishna districts.

The Minister sharply criticized the previous YSRCP government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, saying that during its five-year rule, the Polavaram Project and the entire irrigation sector suffered extensive damage. “Even Sir Arthur Cotton’s soul would have been distressed by the destruction,” he remarked.R amanaidu added that the NDA government under Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has restored the irrigation sector to track.

The Minister announced that the government has sanctioned Rs 150.09 crore for the installation of 117 new gates at the Dowleswaram Barrage. Work on this project will begin shortly and is expected to be completed soon. He also informed that a LiDAR survey for the flushing of the Godavari Delta has been completed at a cost of Rs 14 crore. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared based on the survey findings, he informed. The Minister further stated that Rs 397 crore has been allocated for desilting, removal of obstructions, and de-weeding works in canals ahead of the upcoming Kharif season, with works already in progress.