BRS challenges Revanth Reddy to hold ‘Water Summit’ instead of Global Summit

BRS MLAs K Sanjay and Padi Kaushik Reddy criticised the Congress government over drinking water, irrigation and power shortages ahead of the Telangana Rising Global Summit. They demanded a Water Summit, crop-loss compensation and the use of Godavari water for irrigation.

Hyderabad: BRS MLA Dr K Sanjay challenged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to organise a “Water Summit” instead of the Telangana Rising Global Summit in Hyderabad. He emphasised the need to focus on addressing drinking water and power shortages as well as farmers’ irrigation needs before projecting Telangana as a major investment destination.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Friday, Sanjay said the government was talking about the Global Summit even as people struggled for drinking water and farmers faced severe irrigation shortages. “If the government cannot provide drinking water to its people, how will it supply water to those attending the Global Summit and also investors upon setting up industries?” he asked.

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He offered that BRS leaders could explain how available water could be lifted and utilized, if the government needed help. He also questioned the Congress government’s inaction on the cyber attack on TS-iPASS portal and subsequent delay in approvals to industries.

The BRS MLA accused the government of failing to provide adequate power to industries despite the previous BRS regime increasing the State’s power generation capacity from 7,000 MW before Telangana’s formation to nearly 20,000 MW. Citing the Kitex Group’s move, he said industries were now facing power shortages and shifting to Andhra Pradesh.

Questioning the government’s ambition of building a $3-trillion economy, Sanjay said the target would remain elusive if agriculture, industries and businesses continued to suffer. He stated that the Congress government failed to construct even one flyover in Hyderabad, in contrast to the 30 built during the BRS regime.

BRS MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy accused the Congress government of allowing nearly 1,000 TMCft of Godavari River water to flow downstream without lifting it for irrigation. Around 25,000 cusecs of water was still flowing past Medigadda, which the government had failed to utilise, he added.

Recalling the BRS MLAs’ visit to Medigadda on June 9 led by party working president KT Rama Rao, he accused Revanth Reddy of neglecting farmers due to overconfidence. Dismissing the government’s explanation of El Nino impact, he termed the situation a Congress-induced drought. He said farmers were being forced to spend thousands of rupees on water tankers alone due to the government’s inefficiency.

He demanded compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for every farmer whose crop had dried up and urged the government to lift water from Medigadda barrage for irrigation. Questioning the Chief Minister’s authority to declare a crop holiday, he said the government should focus on supplying water rather than asking farmers to skip cultivation.