Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme brooks no further delay, says CPI

CPI State Secretary G. Eswaraiah urged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to release adequate funds for completion of the long-pending Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme and provide fair compensation to farmers and families displaced due to land acquisition for the project.

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister on Sunday, Mr. Eswaraiah said the irrigation scheme, designed to lift Godavari waters and provide irrigation and drinking water to the higher reaches of the erstwhile West Godavari district and parts of Eluru and NTR districts, remained incomplete despite being launched nearly 17 years ago.

He recalled that the project was launched in 2008 during the tenure of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy at an estimated cost of ₹ 1,701 crore. Following the bifurcation of the state, the project was expanded to cover additional ayacut in the present-day NTR region in 2017 under the Mr. Naidu-led government.

He said the revised project envisages lifting 53.5 tmc of Godavari water to irrigate around 4.8 lakh acres and provide drinking water to several villages and the cost has been revised to ₹4,909 crore.

Mr. Eswaraiah expressed concern over falling groundwater levels in various mandals in Chintalapudi and Polavaram constituencies, forcing farmers to depend on deep borewells. He said delays in land acquisition remain a major hurdle, with farmers demanding compensation based on prevailing market values ​​rather than outdated rates.

Emphasizing that the project will be a lifeline for drought-prone uplands, he appealed to the government to expedite land acquisition, provide fair compensation to affected families and complete the scheme within the time frame announced by Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu.