The Chief Minister's Office of Telangana announced on Friday, 5 June 2026 that Chief Minister Sri A. Revanth Reddy conducted a live inspection of Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) Package Works 7–9 and the Vattem Reservoir at Kummera, Kollapur in Nagarkurnool District.

Context

The inspection, broadcast live, covered three consecutive PRLIS packages alongside the Vattem Reservoir site in the Kollapur mandal of Nagarkurnool District in southern Telangana. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy personally reviewed progress on the ground, continuing a pattern of direct administrative oversight on large-scale irrigation infrastructure.

The Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme is designed to lift Krishna River water to drought-prone, rain-shadow districts in southern Telangana, primarily benefiting farmers in Mahbubnagar and Rangareddy regions. The scheme spans multiple packages across districts and requires close inter-departmental coordination.

Policy Backdrop

PRLIS was initiated under the previous BRS government from 2015 onward as part of Telangana's post-bifurcation push to expand irrigated agriculture, alongside other large lift schemes. The current Congress government, which assumed office in December 2023, has maintained continuity on these long-gestation projects while stepping up monitoring visits.

Successive Telangana governments have treated lift irrigation as a strategic priority for rain-shadow districts that receive inadequate rainfall and have historically depended on groundwater. Projects like PRLIS are intended to expand the 'ayacut' — the area brought under assured irrigation — in districts such as Nagarkurnool, where agriculture remains vulnerable to monsoon variability.

Stakeholders and Impact

The primary beneficiaries of PRLIS completion are Telangana farmers in the command areas of Mahbubnagar, Nagarkurnool, and Rangareddy districts. Assured water supply through the scheme is expected to reduce dependence on erratic rainfall and support both kharif and rabi cropping cycles.

Package Works 7–9 and the Vattem Reservoir are key components of the overall PRLIS network. The reservoir at Kummera serves as a storage and distribution node, making its progress directly relevant to when water can be released into the downstream command area.

What's Next

Officials and farmers in the region will watch for physical progress reports following the Chief Minister's inspection, particularly any directives issued on accelerating pending civil works or resolving land and coordination bottlenecks. The broader question is whether PRLIS packages will be ready to contribute to the 2026–27 kharif season water release calendar.

CM Revanth Reddy's on-site presence signals that the state government intends to keep pressure on project timelines. Any revised completion targets or fresh allocations announced in the wake of this inspection will be closely tracked by farming communities across southern Telangana.