Godavari pact with Maharashtra

SANGAREDDY (Medak): Paving the way for construction of the prestigious Pranahita- Chevella lift irrigation project, the state government will soon enter into an agreement with the Maharashtra government on sharing of the Godavari river water. It will also press the central government to acquire national status for speedy completion of the project.Launching Revenue Sadassulu at Chinnagottimukkala village on Tuesday, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said the `38,000-crore mega irrigation project would cater to the irrigation and drinking water needs of the people of Telangana region.The government has released `24 crore for conduct of a survey on the existing water tanks and also proposals for construction of new water tanks for irrigation.The chief minister said the government would launch Mee Seva Kendras across the state in April in an attempt to curb corruption in revenue offices.He said people need not give bribes to government employees to get certificates as the new system was aimed at providing a transparent and effective administration.“The programme was launched in Chittoor on a pilot basis.It is a huge success as the officials cleared about 60,000 applications for 14 categories of certificates within two months,” he said.There was a mild commotion when some activists shouted ‘Jai Telangana’ slogans and police dragged them away from the venue.