The multi-crore Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project, designed to provide Krishna water to the parched parts of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts, may miss the fresh deadline of December 2023 going by the pace of its work.
The project is designed to draw 43.50 tmcft of flood water from the foreshore of the Srisailam reservoir at Kollamvagu by gravity to irrigate 4.47 lakh acres and provide drinking water to 15.20 lakh people in the fluoride-affected areas spread across 30 mandals in the three districts. It was launched in 2004 as part of ‘Jalayagnam’ by former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy at ₹765 crore soon after coming to power. Owing to time and cost overruns, however, its cost was later revised to ₹8,054.14 crore.
