Naidu’s vision will reshape North Andhra with Sujala Sravanthi revival: Palla Srinivasa Rao

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) State president and Gajuwaka legislator Palla Srinivasa Rao on Friday said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s revival of the Sujala Sravanthi project would transform North Andhra and address long-pending irrigation and drinking water needs.

Speaking to reporters at the TDP office in Gajuwaka, Mr. Srinivasa Rao described the scheme as a “lifeline” for the region. The project, launched in 2009, is designed to irrigate eight lakh acres and provide drinking water to nearly 30 lakh people. He said Mr. Naidu had set a two-year deadline for completion, with plans to fill the Yeluru reservoir through the Polavaram left canal and interlink the Vamsadhara, Nagavali and Champavathi rivers.

He accused the previous YSRCP government of abandoning the project. “Schemes worth Rs 17,000 crore remained only on paper. Instead, North Andhra became a hub of ganja cultivation, while Rushikonda was stripped bare. Companies like Franklin Templeton, HCL, IBM and HSBC withdrew from Visakhapatnam due to intimidation,” he alleged. He also charged that people were misled on the issue of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant’s privatisation.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the coalition government had revived irrigation works worth ₹27,941 crore and was pushing for their early completion. He also cited the expansion of Bhogapuram airport and new investments from TCS, ArcelorMittal and renewable energy firms as signs of economic revival.

“These projects will create thousands of jobs. Our coalition secured Rs 11,440 crore from the Centre to revive the Steel Plant, restoring it to 80 per cent capacity,” he said. The government, he added, was committed to addressing irrigation needs while also driving growth in industry, IT and agriculture.