Nimmala’s Hard Work at Veligonda Gets All Round Praise!

AP Irrigation Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu’s old video is going viral on social media platforms. Nimmala spending overnight at the Veligonda canal site and having dinner inside the tunnel with construction workers has stunned many and the video is winning hearts all over.

Ramanaidu chose to spend his quality time at the project site and constantly monitored the works. Having dinner alongside the workers inside the tunnel also sent a message about the importance being given to the project by the state government. The gesture was not merely a PR stunt. It reflected the government’s focus on completing the long-pending Veligonda Project and its commitment to closely monitoring the work on the ground.

The development comes at a historic moment for Veligonda. CM Chandrababu inaugurated Phase 1 of the Veligonda Project on Monday, August 31. Interestingly, Naidu had laid the foundation stone for the project nearly 30 years ago, in 1996. The inauguration therefore marked the fulfilment of a decades-old dream for the state and the people of the region.

Phase 1 will facilitate the diversion of 10.7 TMC of Krishna floodwater from the Srisailam reservoir to Nallamala Sagar. The project is expected to provide irrigation to around 1.19 lakh acres and drinking water to nearly four lakh people. The project is especially important for the drought-prone regions of Prakasam, Markapuram, Nellore and Kadapa.

It is expected to provide much-needed relief to farmers, address drinking water shortages and reduce dependence on groundwater in several areas. For the people of these regions, Veligonda is much more than an irrigation project. It represents a decades-long dream finally turning into reality.

The way the NDA government is pushing the project, with ministers closely involved in the field, also highlights its sincerity, discipline and focus on execution.