Hyderabad, Feb. 28 -- Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, on Saturday, February 28, announced the works on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project have started, and that a progress of about 20 metres was achieved in last week from the Devarkonda side, where the work remained stalled for the past seven years.

He held a review with the senior officials of the irrigation department at his chambers in Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on the mobilisation of manpower, equipment, and tentative completion timelines for both Tunnel-1 and Tunnel -II.

"Some seven excavation cycles have been completed from the Devarkonda end (outlet side). The works, which involve advanced tunnelling methods, are being monitored...