 But the project construction was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 10 December 1955 and proceeded for the next twelve years.Raja Vasireddy Ramagopala Krishna Maheswara Prasad, popularly known as late Muktyala Raja was instrumental in the construction of the Nagarjuna Sagar Dam via active political lobbying, a donation of one hundred million British pounds and fifty-five thousand acres of land.It was the tallest masonry dam in the world at that time, built entirely with local know-how under the able engineering leadership of Kanuri Lakshmana Rao the then Member of Parliament from Vijayawada.