Uttam blames government for Kalwakurthy pump house mishap

Congress MP A Revanth Reddy, former MP Mallu Ravi, AICC Secretary Sampath Kumar, was taken into custody by police while they were on the way to Yellur

Hyderabad: Several Congress leaders were arrested near Telkapalli in Nagarkurnool district on Saturday when they were trying to visit the submerged Yellur pump house under the Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme (MGKLIS). Congress MP A Revanth Reddy, former MP Mallu Ravi, AICC Secretary Sampath Kumar, was taken into custody by police while they were on the way to Yellur. Police then took them to Uppunutala police station.

“There is an undeclared emergency in Telangana. Don’t we have democratic rights. Why is the TS government scared. Police are also behaving like puppets,” Revanth Reddy said speaking to the media protesting the arrest by the police. Condemning the arrest of Congress leaders near Telakapalli, TPCC Chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy blamed the government for the mishap. Addressing the media through video conference, he attributed the submergence of the pump house to human error.

“The government neglected the expert committee report submitted on June 20, 2016. The underground blasts that were going at Palamuru Rangareddy project site which was just 400 metres away from the pump house is the main reason for the submergence of the valuable pump house. Out of the 14 storied pump house, 10 stories were submerged under the water,” he said.

Demanding an apology from the Chief Minister, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the farmers will not be able to receive irrigation for the ayacut this season because of the mishap. He alleged that breaches to Kaleshwaram, Mid Manair and Kondapochamma Sagar were because of the sheer negligence of the government.

“Only recently there was a major mishap at the Srisailam Hydroelectric unit leading to the death of nine people and now the blast at the pump house, the government must find out who was responsible for these accidents that are resulting in major losses to the State exchequer,” he demanded. On the other hand party working president Ponnam Prabhakar demanded Centre to intervene and investigate the quality of construction of the irrigation projects undertaken by the TRS government.

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