State intensifies efforts to complete SLBC tunnel project

The State government has intensified its efforts to complete the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project within two years.

Steps have been initiated to fast track land acquisition, technical approvals and administrative clearances in addition to mobilizing funds required for ensuring completion of the project within the deadline — June 2028. The project envisages drawl of 40 TMC from Srisailam, irrigate 4.01 lakh acres and provide drinking water to 618 fluoride-affected villages.

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said tunnels, balancing reservoirs and canals will be completed simultaneously. The government is committed to ensuring highest safety standards for the workforce engaged in the tunnel works. Accordingly, there would be three-fold increase in manpower, enhanced technical supervision, independent engineers, senior geologists and strict safety protocols for tunnel workers.

The project was not merely an engineering exercise but the fulfilment of a long-pending promise to the drought-hit and fluoride-affected people of south Telangana. The government would clear bottlenecks, resolve land acquisition issues, strengthen technical supervision and ensure that the SLBC Tunnel and canal network are completed together.

Since resumption of SLBC tunnel work with advanced technologies using observation techniques, half a km of progress have already been achieved. Progress from Devarkonda side was steady and all precautions were being taken to ensure safety of the teams at work on the Srisailam side. The Minister said three arm boomers had already reached Mumbai port and would be reaching the project site by the month end further accelerating the progress.

The SLBC project, closely linked with the aspirations of Nalgonda people, would serve some of the poorest, most backward and remote areas, including drought-prone and fluoride-affected habitations. Completing the project was not only a development priority but also a primary responsibility of the government.

The revised administrative approval for the project was about ₹12,718 crore. Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy instructed officials to work with clearly defined deadlines treating the main Tunnel-I, Tunnel-II, Dindi component, balancing reservoirs and canal network as an integrated project. He wanted the connected departments like finance, land acquisition, forest clearances, contracts and technical approvals to work in close coordination.

He was however particular about the safety aspects directing the officials and the executing agency that speed should never come at the cost of safety. Adequate lighting throughout the tunnel, deployment of senior geologists, engineers and technical experts besides continuous quality monitoring should be put in place.