HYDERABAD: Chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday and requested allocation of additional gas to the state, in addition to Rs 3,000 crore assistance for drought relief and Rs 1,028 crore for the upcoming Conference on Biodiversity.Further, he lobbied the PM for national status for the Polavaram and and Pranahita-Chevella projects.The chief minister requested an allocation of 3 mmscmd more of gas from the NELP blocks to enable generation of an additional 700 MW by the state’s gas-based power projects.For the Conference on Biodiversity, the state wants the government of India to hand out Rs 1,028 crore to take up beautification works in Greater Hyderabad. The chief minister pointed out that the Centre allotted special funds to Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.As for the two irrigation projects, Kiran Kumar told the PM that the Polavaram project, to be built at a cost of Rs 16,010 crore, on the Godavari would benefit various regions of the state as well as the neighbouring states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.Since the project is already getting 25 percent central assistance under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), accordance of National Project status would make it eligible for 90 percent central assistance and lead to timely completion.The chief minister also said the Central Water Commission has already given in-principle clearance to the Pranhita-Chevella project costing Rs 38,500 crore and consisting of 28 packages.The project would serve areas that fall under the Prime Minister’s relief package for distressed districts and envisages creating an ayacut of 6.7 lakh hectares in nine districts in Telangana, apart fropm supplying 30 tme ft of water to Hyderabad and Secunderabad and 10 tmc ft of water to villages and industries en route.
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