Irrigation dept renamed as water resources

Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao on Monday announced changing the nomenclature of the irrigation department as water resources department, as a part of the exercise to bring all irrigation wings under one umbrella.

Holding a review meeting on the draft proposal prepared by officials for reorganising the irrigation wings at Pragathi Bhavan, Rao said the government was ready to sanction 1,000 new posts to strengthen the water resources department.

Stating that the government was constructing irrigation projects while great difficulties, Rao asked officials to develop a system which could irrigate 1.25 crore acres of land by utilising 4 tmc ft of water from the Godavari and 3 tmc ft of water from the Krishna river.

He instructed officials to ensure that decentralisation and revamping of the irrigation department should be in tune with the changing situation in view of the increased availability of irrigation water.

The Chief Minister told the officials to create as many regional departments as required and ensure that each regional wing has an engineer-inchief and all projects, reservoirs, tanks, check dams and other water bodies come under the official’s control.

He asked officials to prepare actual estimates on how much staff is needed from the the engineer-inchief to the lashkar level for decentralisation, and place it before the government. They should also ensure the posts of engineer-in-chief of operations, administration and general in the water resources department

He told officials to entrust the management of all pump Houses to the electricity department.

While asking the officials to identify the works to be taken up under the MNREGA in the irrigation sector and prepare plans accordingly, Rao said that steps should be taken to construct guest houses at the projects and reservoirs as well as camp offices for the chief engineers in their respective jurisdictions.