Pula Subbaiah Veligonda project: Jagan commissions two tunnels; will irrigate 4.5L acre land

Prakasam: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday inaugurated the twin tunnels of the Pula Subbaiah Veligonda project in Prakasam district.

The project will irrigate 4.5 lakh acres and supply drinking water to more than 15 lakh people.

The chief minister also disbursed Rs 1,294 crore towards input subsidy for the benefit of more than 11 lakh farmers who lost their crops in the drought.

Estimated to have been built for Rs 10,010 crore, the first tunnel of the Subbaiah Veligonda project was completed in November 2021 and the second in January 2024.

An engineering marvel, the tunnels were laid by bore machines digging their way through the Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar Tiger Reserve forest at a depth of 500 meters, on average, from atop the hills to a distance of 18.82km.

Jagan’s government has completed both the tunnels and the Nallamala Sagar reservoir, fulfilling a project launched in 2004 by the YS Rajasekhara government.

The project envisages a drawing of 43.50tmc flood water of Krishna River from the foreshore of Srisailam project reservoir through Kollam Vagu (upstream of Srisailam reservoir) by twin tunnels by gravity and thereafter to impound in the Nallamala Sagar Reservoir through a feeder canal.

The water source for Veligonda is the foreshore of Srisailam Reservoir through Kollamvagu (From Sill level +841ft). Veligonda would supply irrigation water to 4,47,300 acres and drinking water to 15.25 lakh people in 30 mandals of Prakasam, YSR Kadapa and Nellore districts.

The Stage-I canal distributary will provide irrigation facilities to 1,19,000 acres and drinking water to a 4 lakh population in the Prakasam district. The Stage-II canal distributary will provide additional irrigation facilities to 3,28,300 acres and drinking water to an 11.25 lakh population in the Prakasam, Nellore, and Kadapa districts.

Disbursed input subsidy for farmers:

The chief minister also disbursed Rs 1,294 crore towards input subsidy for the benefit of more than 11 lakh farmers who lost their crops in the drought a few months ago and Cyclone Michaung in December last year. Out of the Rs 1,294 crore, Rs 847 crore has been paid as input subsidy to seven lakh farmers hit by drought in 103 mandals in seven districts, while the remainder went to more than four lakh farmers who suffered crop losses due to the Michaung cyclone.

Disbursing the financial aid from his camp office, the CM said that Rs 3,262 crore has been disbursed under input subsidy to more than 34 lakh farmers who suffered crop losses due to natural calamities in the past 5