Rs 4,500 Cr to restore 9,000 lakes in Telangana
HYDERABAD: In an ambitious mission to revive minor irrigation projects, primarily the lakes, across Telangana, the state government has invited NRIs to join the mission and offered to name the restored lakes after them or their parents.
The government has said it will spend about `4,500 crore on the restoration of 9,000 lakes this year.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Sunday after a review meeting with chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on the project, major irrigation minister T Harish Rao appealed to the people to take part in the initiative voluntarily.
'If NRIs come forward to restore lakes in their villages, the government will name the lake after them or their parents,' he said.
With the first phase of the project beginning in the first week of December, about 9,000 lakes will get a facelift this year. Two chief engineers, one for the Krishna Basin and the other for Godavari Basin, will be appointed to oversee the implementation of the project.
The minister emphatically stated that the government would execute the project in a transparent manner. 'All works of the project would be taken up on tender basis and not on nomination basis.
In order to remove hurdles, the state government has decided to allow executive engineers to call tenders for works of value up to `50 lakh, superintendent engineers up to `1 crore and chief engineers for works valuing over `1 crore,' he said.
For carrying out the programme in a hassle-free manner, the government would appoint one superintend engineer for each district, an executive engineer for three constituencies and one assistant engineer for each mandal. One lake per constituency will be developed into a 'mini Tank Bund' for recreation purpose.
To ensure the participation of even students in the programme, all district collectors would be asked to conduct essay- writing competitions on the theme of restoration of lakes, the minister added.
News Posted: 27 October, 2014
|
