The Andhra Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 624 crore for a comprehensive drinking water scheme to provide piped water to households in villages in the Tekkali constituency of Srikakulam district.
Kinjarapu Atchannaidu, Minister for Agriculture, announced the project in Ayodhyapuram Gram Panchayat in Tekkali mandal yesterday. He said, “Clean drinking water in every village is one of my primary objectives.”
According to the minister, such a scheme will draw water from the Hiramandalam reservoir and supply it to villages through water tanks. The project is meant to boost drinking water access for households in the constituency.
Water To Be Drawn From Hiramandalam Reservoir
The Hiramandalam reservoir is expected to be the main source for the new drinking water scheme. Water will be transported from the reservoir and distributed to villages through a network of water tanks.
The announcement is important for the rural areas in Tekkali constituency where reliable access to drinking water is still a key public infrastructure requirement.
Government records show that Srikakulam has had several drinking water and water supply projects in recent years. Projects under the AMRUT 2.0 programme include improvement in drinking water supply in Srikakulam Municipal Corporation and other water and sewerage works in the district.
The latest Rs 624 crore announcement is specifically on a comprehensive drinking water scheme covering villages and households in the Tekkali constituency, Atchannaidu said.
It is also shown in previous government documents that Hiramandalam has been considered an important source for drinking water schemes in Srikakulam. A previous Andhra Pradesh High Court record had mentioned that the Uddanam drinking water project was aimed at drawing raw water from the Hiramandalam reservoir, treating it and providing drinking water to habitations in the region.
Minister Reviews Local Issues During Village Visit
Atchannaidu visited Ayodhyapuram Gram Panchayat during his tour of Tekkali mandal and interacted directly with villagers, women and farmers.
Residents raised several local issues with the minister, and he instructed officials to address them, he said.
The minister also made infrastructure-related announcements on his visit. He laid the foundation stone for a tar road connecting National Highway-16 with Sukhadevipeta. The road is estimated to cost Rs 1.70 crore.
He also inaugurated the reconstruction of a BT road running from NH-16 through Ayodhyapuram and Sukhadevipeta to Kantragada.
The road projects will improve connectivity between villages and the main highway, and the drinking water scheme is intended for basic household water requirements.
Housing Programme Also Announced
During the same visit, Atchannaidu said the Centre had sanctioned three lakh houses for Andhra Pradesh and that construction would begin soon.
He said beneficiary lists for the housing programme had already been prepared in the Tekkali constituency and that the online process had been completed. Construction will be expedited once the houses receive the necessary sanctions, he added.
The housing announcement is also in conjunction with the drinking water project; both projects focus on rural household infrastructure.
The Rs 624 crore water scheme announced for Tekkali is therefore part of a broader set of infrastructure-related measures being highlighted by the state government in the constituency.
While the minister has announced the sanction and broad structure of the drinking water project, details such as the implementation timeline, number of villages and households to be covered, construction schedule, and individual project components were not provided in the latest report.
The project will draw water from the Hiramandalam reservoir and supply it through water tanks, with the stated goal of ensuring clean drinking water reaches households across villages in the Tekkali constituency.
