8,000 acres of canals encroached, Telangana govt steps in

HYDERABAD: In Krishna and Godavari basin, around 8,071 acres of encroachments have been identified along the canals of major reservoirs like Nagarjunasagar, Sriramsagar and Nizamasagar by Telangana irrigation department.
Canals passing through various towns like Nizamabad, Miryalaguda, Armoor, Bodhan, Balkonda are resulting in floods. The irrigation department has begun cracking the whip against the encroachments and filed a complaint with the revenue department regarding Nizamsagar canal encroachments in Nizamabad town.Around 2,311 acres of land has been encroached under Nizamsagar project.

“Encroachments on NSP main canal in Nizamabad dist on existing Nizamsagar canal banks from 96km to 102km adjacent to Nizamabad town were encroached by constructing temporary huts and permanent houses. Around 406 encroachers have been identified,” said an irrigation department official.
“Encroachments have been there over the years for which various government departments give electricity connections and all other facilities,” added the irrigation official.
The irrigation department has addressed letters to district collector requesting removal of encroachments as per the provisions of the Land Encroachment Act (1905) and arrange to handover the land. As the Nizamsagar is an old project, no Pahani, ROR-1B copies are available but in village map, it is shown as acquired government land. Accordingly, the district collector was addressed for evacuation of encroachments.
The revenue department has completed the survey and enumeration. The irrigation department has filed complaints with local police against the encroachers, asking for registration of cases under sections 441 and 448 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Principal secretary of irrigation department Rajat Kumar told TOI, “We have made an inventory of 12.7 lakh acres of land owned by irrigation department both at the reservoirs, canals and other office assets. We have done mutation of these lands largely in the name of the irrigation department.”
“The network of the major canals is around 39,600 kilometres and there are decadesold encroachments. We are working on removing them so that the water flow is not obstructed and flooding can be avoided,” Kumar added.