For families pushed off their land by the Veligonda irrigation project, the wait for compensation is over. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu signed off 300 crore rupees today for those displaced by the reservoir and canal network.
State records confirm the payment. The money is meant to clear remaining construction zones so the project can finally move forward.
The Veligonda scheme is a lift-irrigation system. It pulls water from the Srisailam reservoir. That sounds simple.
It has not been. Delays and cost overruns have dogged it for years.
Tunnel work is still incomplete. Canal lining is unfinished. Naidu now says phase-one water will reach command areas by July 31.
That date hinges on finishing that tunnel and those canals. Officials familiar with the briefing say the timeline is tight. The 300 crore rupees is not a gift.
It is a condition. The state committed to compensating displaced families before clearing the way for more construction.
The money covers those evacuated to make room for the project. Without it, work would stop. With it, the state hopes to push the project over the finish line before the next monsoon season.
Naidu did not stop at water. He launched the Sanjeevani health programme at the same series of review meetings in the state secretariat.
The programme targets rural and tribal areas with limited hospital infrastructure. Mobile medical units and telemedicine hubs will be deployed. The goal is to expand primary-care access where it is thinnest.
No details on rollout dates were given, but the commitment is on paper. Another scheme is coming. The Talliki Vandanam programme, a financial-assistance plan for mothers, will begin enrollment in July.
It was first announced in the state budget. It provides direct cash transfers to women with school-age children.
Enrollment starts next month. The money will start flowing after that. Naidu stressed that both the Veligonda compensation and the health programme are part of a broader push.
Rural infrastructure is the target. The next monsoon season is the deadline.
Sources present at the meetings say the chief minister was clear about the stakes. Water, health care, cash for mothers — all of it hinges on execution. The Veligonda project alone has seen years of broken promises.
The 300 crore payment is a concrete step, but July 31 is only weeks away. The state irrigation department confirmed the disbursement. Officials said the compensation covers families displaced by the reservoir and the canal network.
No names were provided. No breakdown of how many families received payments was given.
The record shows the state has now committed to the compensation as a condition for clearing remaining construction zones. The Sanjeevani programme will deploy mobile units and telemedicine hubs. The Talliki Vandanam scheme will begin enrollment in July.
Both are new. Both face the same test: delivery.
Naidu’s announcements today set the direction. The work is still ahead.
