The CITU State committee has extended it full support to the Staff & Workers Federation (SWF) and Telangana RTC Workers Union (TWU), backed by TMU (Ashwathama Reddy), combine in the ensuing elections for the recognised union of the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) scheduled to be held on October 9.

The combine has already launched a poster campaign in the TGSRTC’s Khammam region highlighting its resolve to pursue the merger of the corporation with the State government, ensure job security and reduce the workload of workers.

The combine has also constituted a regional election committee to intensify its election campaign as the process for the recognised union elections has already begun, according to a press release.

It has decided to organise a public meeting in Khammam on September 29 to mark the intensification of the election campaign.

In a statement, CITU State president Chukka Ramulu called upon the village, mandal and district committees of the CITU across the State to mobilise support for the SWF and TWU, backed by TMU-A, combine and work for its victory in the October 9 elections.

An 80-year-old ex-serviceman allegedly shot dead a pet dog with an air gun at Mutharam village in Mudigonda mandal of Khammam district on Thursday. The Mudigonda police arrested the accused, identified as Janaiah, on Friday and seized the air gun from him.

According to sources, Janaiah allegedly fired at his neighbour’s pet dog after spotting it entering his house. The dog reportedly succumbed to the injury a short while later.

The pet dog’s owner lodged a complaint against Janaiah at the Mudigonda police station on Thursday.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against Janaiah under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), police said.

The accused was arrested and the air gun was seized from his possession on Friday. A panchnama was conducted at the scene of the offence and further investigation is under way.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday said the State government would complete the J. Chokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme on a war footing by clearing all pending bills, and by expediting the remaining works.

Mr. Vikramarka, accompanied by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, visited the project and reviewed its progress with senior officials in Kannaigudem mandal of Mulugu district. The Ministers also inspected pumping facilities, water storage conditions, and ongoing works at various components of the scheme in Mulugu district.

Addressing the media after the review, Mr. Vikramarka criticised the previous BRS government over the condition of the Kaleshwaram project barrages. Referring to the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), he said that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) had advised against storing water in the structures until repair works were completed.

Mr. Vikramarka said the government was taking precautionary measures in view of the possibility of deficient rainfall and El Nino conditions. As part of this strategy, efforts were being made to fill all 22 reservoirs linked to the Devadula project and maximise utilisation of Godavari waters.

Of the ₹146 crore sanctioned, ₹58 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition, ₹74 crore for pending project works and ₹ 14 crore for maintenance activities. He said there would be no shortage of funds for the project and assured that all pending issues, including land acquisition and technical bottlenecks, would be addressed expeditiously.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the government aimed to fully utilise the project’s designed capacity of 38.16 TMC and provide irrigation water to the entire ayacut. He added that all 10 pumps in the Devadula system would be made operational to ensure uninterrupted supply of irrigation and drinking water to nearly 12 districts in the Godavari basin.

Mr. Vikramarka emphasised that the Devadula and Sita Rama Lift Irrigation projects would be completed on a war footing with the objective of providing a dependable water source to farmers in the erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts.

Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy described the Devadula project as a top priority project for the government. He said a comprehensive review was conducted on land acquisition, pending works, pumping capacity and reservoir filling, and instructions were issued to ensure that all 10 pumps become fully operational within the next few days.

He added that water was already being pumped into reservoirs at different stages and that efforts were under way to ensure all 22 reservoirs were filled to capacity.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy noted that the scheme has the capacity to provide irrigation to about 6.14 lakh acres, with a majority of the ayacut located in the erstwhile Warangal region.