India, Sept. 5 -- Hyderabad Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday directed the officials of the state irrigation department and contractors to ensure that the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project is completed before December 9, 2027 at any cost.

"The state government is keen on dedicating the project to the people on December 9, 2027 (coinciding with the birthday of Sonia Gandhi). The state cannot afford any laxity. Works must proceed without interruption until the project is finished," the chief minister said, while chairing a high-level review meeting on SLBC works.

The Rs.4,600 crore tunnel project aims to transfer Krishna river water from the Srisailam reservoir to provide irrigation to four lakh acres in the erst...