Hyderabad, Sept 4 (Patriotic Views News):
Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the State Government has drawn up plans to resume works on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project, which is regarded as one of the most prestigious projects of the state.

Speaking after a high-level review meeting at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Secretariat on Wednesday, the Minister emphasized that the government is determined to complete the project within the revised estimates, using advanced technology to ensure timely progress.

The Minister revealed that a heli-borne survey, using state-of-the-art global technology, will soon be undertaken through the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI). This survey will help identify risks in advance during tunneling works and enable engineers to take preventive measures.

He added that Lieutenant General Harpal Singh has been appointed as irrigation advisor to oversee the tunnel construction.

Key Highlights:

44 km tunnel planned, of which 35 km is already completed.

Remaining 9 km to be executed with advanced methods, in three shifts with trained young engineers.

Monthly target: 178 meters of tunneling, with completion set for January 2028.

Continuous monitoring of safety standards during tunnel construction.

Engineers to be provided with training and incentives for effective execution.

Currently, two fronts of tunneling have achieved progress: 21 km from one side and 14 km from the other. The Minister directed officials to speed up the remaining works without any delay.

Highlighting the challenges, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the department is paying ₹500–550 crores annually towards electricity bills for pumping out water during tunnel excavation, and motors used for pumping have already crossed 20 years of service, creating an additional burden.

He asserted that once completed, the SLBC project would supply 0.3 TMC of water daily for 90 days. Importantly, with SLBC becoming operational, the unauthorized diversion of water by Andhra Pradesh through Pothireddypadu would come to an end.

The Minister underlined that the State Government will not backtrack on completing the SLBC project, describing it as a prestigious and crucial lifeline project for Telangana.

The review meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Irrigation Rahul Bojja, Special Secretary Prashanth Jeevan Patil, Advisors Aditya Das Nath and Lt. Gen. Harpal Singh, Additional Secretary K. Srinivas, ENCs Anjat Hussain, Srinivas, Ramesh Babu, R&R Commissioner Shivakumar Naidu, CE Nalgonda Ajay Kumar, and other senior officials.

— Patriotic Views News