The government will accord top priority to completion of pending projects in the state which required an amount of Rs 17,960 crores, according to Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, he said GO no 22 was issued on pending projects asking contractors to revive the projects and complete them before a negotiated deadline.

Mr. Rao said the inertia and corruption in the last 10 years dislocated the projects construction leading to waste of public money and water into the sea.

Last year around 72 tmcft flowed into the sea while Rayalaseema was starving for water. Mr. Chandrababu Naidu wanted the water to be tapped along with the savings in the lower reaches on account of supplementation from the Godavari basin.

Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said under the phase I of Hundri-Neeva project water would be shifted up to Gandikota Project and under Phase II upto Jeedipalli reservoir. The government had plans to complete the pending projects in three years and effectively put to use scarce resources of the government.

He ridiculed the YSRC leaders for agitating against Pattiseema project, saying that it cost only Rs. 1,400 crore but brought enormous benefits to farmers of all regions.

He said the Polavaram project would be completed with the funds from the Central government as a national project. On the meager allocation of funds to the Polavaram project in the Central budget Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said the matter was taken up with the Union Minister for Water Resources.

He said as part of revamp of the functioning of the irrigation department, transfers were effected in a big way to deploy right people at the right place. Kurnool district was granted Rs. 10 crore for desilting of canals and irrigation tanks.