DELAY IN LAND ACQUISITION STALLS RESERVOIR WORK

Delay in land acquisition has stalled work on the 10 tmc ft reservoir construction at Keshavapuram. The Water Board has completed the tender process but lack of co-ordination with the forest department to whom the land belongs has affected the project.

The Water Board requires 1,585 acres of government land, 1,235 acres of forest land, 185 acres of endowments land, 335 acres government assigned land and 555 acres from private persons.

Sources said that until the board’s estate wing completes the land acquisition by co-coordinating with the Medc hal Malka jg iri district collector, work cannot begin.

Sources said that government department had locked horned horns with the Water Board and were deliberately delaying the reservoir construction.

The project was announced in February last year and tender process began in January.

According to highly placed sources, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) had bagged `4,775-crore contract. Of this. `775 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition, bank guarantee and other expenses.

A senior Water Board official said the Water Board had acquired 1,585 acres of government land and had issued notification land from other government departments and private persons.

He said instructions were given to the Medchal-Malkajgiri district collector to speed up land acquisition and hand over the land to the Water Board.

A SENIOR Water Board official said the Board had acquired 1,585 acres of government land and had issued notification land from other government departments.