BRS leader B Vinod Kumar demands urgent repairs to Medigadda barrage

Former MP B Vinod Kumar urged the Telangana government to immediately repair the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project, warning of harm to farmers. He dismissed CM Revanth Reddy’s claim on Tummidihatti water flow and demanded answers from Congress on cross-voting allegations

Hyderabad: Former MP B Vinod Kumar on Tuesday urged the State government to act swiftly and take up repairs to the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project, warning that further delay would hurt farmers in northern Telangana. He welcomed Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s announcement that repairs to the three barrages, Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla, would be taken up after the monsoon.

Speaking to mediapersons here, Vinod Kumar stressed that Medigadda required immediate restoration, since only three pillars had collapsed and repairs were still manageable. He said the barrage should not be left idle, as that could render it useless, and noted that farmers were already suffering due to lack of water.

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Calling for water assurance to farmers in erstwhile Karimnagar, Medak, Warangal and Nizamabad districts, he said repairs were vital to safeguard crops and ensure effective use of the Kaleshwaram project.

The BRS leader argued that water from Tummidihatti cannot flow by gravity and requires lifting at two points, dismissing Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s claim otherwise. He added that Maharashtra had never agreed to raising the height to 152 metres, even when Congress was in power at the Centre, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Turning to national politics, Vinod Kumar demanded clarity from the Congress on allegations of cross-voting in the Vice Presidential elections held on Tuesday. “Revanth Reddy rushed to Delhi and stayed there till the entire process was over. The Congress must answer if its votes were crossed,” he said.

On BRS abstaining from voting, he said the party, as the principal opposition in Telangana, would maintain equal distance from both BJP and Congress.