CM Naidu vows to provide water to every acre in Andhra

Paramasamudram (Andhra Pradesh), Aug 30 (PTI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday vowed to provide water to every acre in the state, urging people to make full use of it for development, after performing the ‘Jala Harati’ ritual at the Kuppam branch canal.

Naidu performed the ritual on the occasion of Krishna River water reaching Kuppam through the expanded Handri Neeva canal.

“It is my responsibility to provide water to every acre and everybody and it is your duty to make use of it and develop. Are you ready for this?...Water is life, things will change when water comes,” said Naidu at a public meeting at Paramasamudram village.

However, he advised farmers not to grow paddy and focus on cash crops.

Expressing joy over channeling Krishna River water from Srisailam to the Kuppam Branch Canal, the Chief Minister compared the event to the Krishna Pushakarams (a kumbh mela-like pilgrimage) arriving in Kuppam a few years early.

Naidu highlighted the engineering feat achieved in channeling Krishna River waters to the Kuppam Branch Canal, covering a distance of 738 km and lifting the water to a height of 700 metres.

Recalling the earlier arid conditions in Rayalaseema, the TDP supremo said water had to be transported by trains to save livestock, which motivated him to initiate change.

He added that the foundation for the Handri–Neeva project was laid in 1999, and by 2025, water reached Paramasamudram village.

Naidu emphasized his commitment to transform the Rayalaseema region into a ‘Ratanala Seema’ (region of precious stones) rather than ‘Rallaseema’ (region of stones).

According to Naidu, the previous TDP government (2014–2019) spent Rs 12,500 crore on Rayalaseema projects, while the YSRCP allegedly spent only Rs 2,000 crore.

He accused the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP of being “adept at lying” and contrasted it with his own track record of turning “impossibilities into possibilities.” Promising to fill all local ponds, he said 110 ponds in Paramasamudram and Kuppam will receive water.

Naidu added that Handri–Neeva Phases I and II will irrigate six lakh acres and provide drinking water to 33 lakh people.

He also promised to supply water to Chittoor through Handri–Neeva by next year.

The CM said the only way to irrigate every acre of land is by interlinking rivers and saving water draining into the sea.

He expressed hope for a time when water could be tapped at a depth of three metres after monsoon and eight metres before monsoon.

Noting that a development blueprint is being prepared for the Rayalaseema region, the Chief Minister said he will prioritise horticulture and attract industries in defence, aerospace, green hydrogen, and other sectors to make the region a top investment destination.

Focusing on his own Kuppam constituency, Naidu said it will be developed into a competitive hub, highlighting that the segment has attracted Rs 3,908 crore investments with the potential to generate 10,600 direct and 26,581 indirect jobs.

Naidu furthe said Hindalco is setting up a plant to manufacture an iPhone part in Kuppam, and promised to make robust road connectivity with Bengaluru.

The Kuppam airport will start from December to ferry cargo and fly passengers. Kuppam will be the lab for all the experiments in the state, he added. PTI STH ROH