*YSRCP demands probe into Handri-Neeva works*

Anantapur, 19 July: A YSR Congress Party delegation inspected the Handri-Neeva canal system from Cholasamudram to Narayanapuram and demanded immediate expansion of the canal capacity to 11,500 cusecs, alleging that the coalition government had weakened one of Rayalaseema’s most critical irrigation projects through poor execution and policy reversals. The delegation said the canal lining and expansion works were carried out in a substandard manner, resulting in large-scale irregularities in works worth nearly ₹3,000 crore. It asserted that if the works had been executed properly, Anantapur district would have received up to 80 TMC of water.

The YSRCP leaders said the present government cancelled the Government Orders issued during the Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy administration and reduced the canal capacity to just 3,850 cusecs, undermining the long-term irrigation needs of Rayalaseema. They stated that the coalition government was systematically weakening the Handri-Neeva Project while neglecting the region’s water security. The delegation further said that hundreds of crores of rupees had been siphoned off through the canal lining works and demanded a comprehensive investigation into the alleged corruption.

The leaders also criticised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for halting the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project and questioned why he had failed to condemn the remarks made by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy regarding the project. They said the government’s decisions had caused grave injustice to Rayalaseema by compromising irrigation infrastructure and reducing the effectiveness of the Handri-Neeva system.

The YSRCP announced that after returning to power it would restore and expand the Handri-Neeva canal capacity to 11,500 cusecs to ensure adequate irrigation for the region. The inspection was led by Anantapur District YSRCP President and former MLA Ananta Venkatarami Reddy and former Minister Sake Sailajanath. Former MLAs Y. Visweswara Reddy and Kethireddy Peddareddy, former MP Talari Rangaiah, Kurnool district leaders Katasani Rambhupal Reddy and S.V. Mohan Reddy, along with other senior party leaders, participated in the inspection.