Korata–Chanaka Works on Fast Track After CM Revanth’s Assurance
Adilabad: Efforts are on to complete the pending work of the Korata-Chanaka dam on the Penganga river in the next few months and make the dam functional and provide irrigation to agricultural lands in the Adilabad Assembly constituency.
Hopes of farmers were revived when Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, during his visit to Adilabad on Thursday, promised to release funds required to complete the remaining works of the dam.
Acquisition of approximately 1,900 acres of land for canals, distribution channels and the reservoir remains the biggest obstacle to completion of the dam. Meeting the compensation claims of those ousted will require significant financial resources.
Local farmers said that although the dam was built, it has not provided any benefit to them so far, and emphasized that the dam should be put into operation as soon as possible.
The project aims to irrigate 50,000 acres in Adilabad Assembly constituency, reduce monsoon floods and prevent crop loss in villages along the Penganga river in Jainad and Bela mandals. While the dam’s storage capacity is 0.85 TMC ft, the Pippalkoti reservoir is expected to store 1.7 TMC ft by lifting water from the Korata-Chanaka dam in Bheempur mandal.
Funds are needed to purchase land from local farmers for both the reservoir and the main canal. With the Prime Minister’s assurance, farmers are now hopeful that they will be able to get water for their crops by the next Rabi season.
It is learned that in-charge minister Jupally Krishna Rao and State government advisor P. Sudarshan Reddy reviewed the pending works of the dam and sought funds from the Chief Minister. The funds required to complete the project are expected to be released soon.
Around 90 farmers whose land falls below the Pippalkoti reservoir are demanding a one-time solution of ₹ 20 lakh per acre. They also want compensation to be paid as per the revised rates under the new land acquisition law.
According to Peddinti Bhumanna, a farmer from Thamsi village, around 1,200 acres of land was purchased for the reservoir four years ago, of which around 200 acres were used for the construction of the embankment. Farmers who lost land for the package were paid ₹8 lakh per acre. However, the remaining farmers are still waiting for compensation for about 1,000 acres and are demanding revision of prices. They point out that land prices have increased significantly and an acre in the area is now selling for around Rs 20 lakh.
Official sources said water will be provided to 16,000 acres on both sides of the 43 km main canal passing through Adilabad Rural, Jainad and Bela mandals in Adilabad Assembly constituency.
