india

Updated: Jun 15, 2019 20:02 IST

Known for his strong faith in Hindu religious rituals, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is planning yet another “yagam” (havan) on the inauguration-day of the mega Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project.

This Godavari river project in Jayashankar Bhoopalpalli district will be unveiled on June 21.

The chief minister’s office said arrangements for the inauguration of the Kaleshwaram project, the biggest and costliest lift irrigation scheme in the country were in full swing. The estimated cost of the project is over Rs one lakh crore.

The chief minister wants Kaleshwaram project inauguration to be the biggest ever witnessed in the state. “KCR is performing two mega ‘Yagams’, first at Medigadda, where a massive barrage was constructed across Godavari river and second at Kannepalli pump house,” a Telangana Rashtra Samithi functionary supervising the arrangements at the project site, said on condition of anonymity.

Named as Jala Sankalpa Yagam, the ritual invokes Lord Varuna (rain god) to bless the state with rich crops in the coming years. Vedic priests from Sringeri Mutt – Gopi Krishna Sharma and Phani Shashanka Sharma would be conducting the ‘havans’.

“Tight security ordered for the site where the ‘havans’ will be performed, since it forms the borders of Maoist-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh,” the TRS leader said.

KCR has invited the two chief ministers of riparian states – Devendra Fadnavis of Maharashtra and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh, besides Governors of Maharashtra Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao and Andra Pradesh and Telangana, E L S Narasimhan. The VIPs will attend the Yagnam followed by a visit to the ancient Shiva temple at Kaleshwaram.

KCR’s plan to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi came unstuck since he could not get a one-on-one meeting with him.

The project will use 200 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) of Godavari water for irrigation of fresh area, stabilisation of irrigated area, for drinking and for industrial purposes.

The project also involves construction of three barrages apart from reverse pumping of water from Godavari into three major reservoirs. It involves huge and complex system of reservoirs, water tunnels, pipelines and canals.

November last year, KCR performed ‘Raja Syamala Yagam’ at his farmhouse in Erravelli village in Siddipet district seeking divine blessings for his party’s victory in the December 7 assembly elections.

After the victory, he performed a five-day ‘Maha Rudhra Sahitha Sahasra Maha Chandi Yagam’ at the same farmhouse in the last week of January.

In 2015, over 2,500 priests participated in KCR’s gigantic ‘Ayutha Maha Chandi Yagam’ that continued for five consecutive days drawing national attention.