AMARAVATI, June 27 — Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has disbursed 300 crore rupees to families displaced by the Veligonda irrigation project, according to state government records. The payment, announced today, is intended for those evacuated to make way for the reservoir and canal network.
Naidu also pledged that phase-one water from the project would reach command areas by July 31. The timeline, according to officials familiar with the briefing, is tied to the completion of remaining tunnel work and canal lining.
The Veligonda project, a lift-irrigation scheme designed to draw water from the Srisailam reservoir, has faced repeated delays and cost overruns. The record shows the state has now committed to compensating affected families as a condition for clearing remaining construction zones.
Sanjeevani health programme launched
Separately, the chief minister launched the Sanjeevani health programme, a new initiative aimed at expanding primary-care access in rural and tribal areas. The programme, according to the filing, will deploy mobile medical units and telemedicine hubs across districts with limited hospital infrastructure. Naidu also announced that the Talliki Vandanam scheme—a financial-assistance programme for mothers—will begin enrollment in July.
The scheme, first announced in the state budget, is designed to provide direct cash transfers to women with school-age children. The announcements came during a series of review meetings at the state secretariat.
Naidu, according to sources present, stressed that both the Veligonda compensation and the health programme were part of a broader push to improve rural infrastructure ahead of the next monsoon season. State irrigation department officials confirmed that the 300 crore disbursement covers only the first tranche of compensation for evacuees. Additional payments are expected once land-acquisition assessments for the project’s second phase are completed.
On the timeline, the July 31 water-release target for Veligonda phase one will test whether the state’s construction contractors can meet the deadline. Past project milestones, the record shows, have slipped by months or longer.
For now, the chief minister has put 300 crore rupees in the hands of displaced families and set a hard date for the first water delivery. The next few weeks will show whether the engineering can catch up to the promise.
