Marellapadu lift irrigation scheme inaugurated, Godavari water released into Thummalacheruvu

Around 4,300 acres in Aswapuram mandal will receive irrigation water in the first phase of the newly inaugurated Marellapadu lift irrigation scheme, with the coverage planned to be extended to nearly 23,000 acres in phases, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said on Wednesday.

Mr. Srinivas Reddy and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao inaugurated the scheme, taken up at an estimated cost of ₹61 crore, at Marellapadu village in Aswapuram mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

The Ministers switched on the pumps at the Marellapadu pumphouse, a component of the Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLIP), releasing Godavari water into Thummalacheruvu, sources said.

Addressing a gathering at Gondigudem village, Mr. Srinivas Reddy said the process of land acquisition and obtaining forest clearances for the long-pending Pulusubontha project would be expedited to facilitate its completion.