Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will hold a broad based meeting of irrigation officials on Monday to discuss the draft report on reorganisation of Irrigation Department with focus on creating 15 to 20 territorial wings, each headed by an officer of the rank of Chief Engineer, after dissolving the present setup.
It was already decided at the previous meeting last week to do away with minor, medium and major irrigation wings, State Irrigation Development Corporation and packages based sub-wings of the department. Instead, they will all be brought under one umbrella organisation but territorial wings will be created to supervise works locally. The territorial wings will be responsible for all kinds of irrigation projects, reservoirs and check-dams within their limits.
‘Organise workshop’
Mr. Rao asked Principal Irrigation Secretary Rajat Kumar at that meeting to organise a workshop to chart out the course of action.
Hence, Mr. Rajat Kumar and a senior official in the Chief Minister's Office Smita Sabharwal held the workshop and prepared a draft report which will be taken up by Mr. Rao at Monday’s meeting.
A release said Mr. Rao contemplated reorganisation of the department because irrigation had suffered regional imbalance in combined State though Telangana had immense potential to tap river water. The situation was set right with comprehensive understanding of problems and implementation of right plans in the last six years of separate Telangana.
Push to agriculture
Irrigation in the State gave a huge push to agriculture as it contributed to 55% of foodgrain production in the country in the rabi of 2019-20. The same was also acknowledged by the Food Corporation of India.
At another broad meeting on Tuesday, Mr. Rao will discuss the designs for the new Secretariat complex with officials and architects as a prelude to a meeting of the Cabinet which will finalise the proposals.
Mr. Rao already had a look into some designs which were prepared with the objective to symbolise the hoary past and glory of the region.
The meeting will discuss the exteriors and the facilities in the interiors of the complex.
After the Cabinet approves the designs, tenders will be invited for construction. Architects from Tamil Nadu -- Oscar and Ponni -- will be present, a release said.
