Congress compounded Telangana’s water crisis: KTR

BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Wednesday accused the Congress government of aggravating the agrarian crisis through delays in Rythu Bharosa payments, incomplete farm loan waivers and failure to utilise available irrigation resources. Addressing a public meeting in Nirmal, he demanded immediate farmer relief measures, criticised the government's handling of drought conditions and targeted both the Congress and BJP over issues affecting the State's farming community.

Hyderabad: Amid the deepening agrarian crisis across Telangana, BRS working president KT Rama Rao demanded for the immediate release of pending Rythu Bharosa payments along with the current Yasangi instalment, completion of the remaining farm loan waiver and rescheduling of agricultural loans.

He also sought Rs 36,000 each for eligible rural job-card holders, representing the promised Rs 1,000 monthly assistance to agricultural labourers over 36 months.

Addressing the party’s Rythu Garjana public meeting at Nirmal on Wednesday evening, Rama Rao said the agrarian distress was compounded by the Congress government’s failure to utilise available irrigation water, with thousands of cusecs flowing downstream even as farmers face drought conditions. He accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of using El Nino and the rainfall deficit to deflect responsibility for the crisis.

He questioned how nine mandals in a district through which the Godavari River flows could be declared drought-affected when projects such as Kadem, Sadarmat, Swarna and Sudda Vagu were available to supply irrigation water.

“The Congress government failed to operate pumps despite having the infrastructure to lift and distribute water,” he asserted.

The BRS working president recalled that the party had alerted the government four months ago about the need to lift Godavari River water.

“Had the pumps been operated, the Sriram Sagar Project could have stored 100 TMCft, providing water to the Saraswati canal, Sadarmat barrage and other lift irrigation schemes,” he said.

He questioned why the government had not used reverse pumping to transfer Kaleshwaram water into the Sriram Sagar reservoir.

Rama Rao charged the Congress government with neglecting the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, which was nearly 90 per cent complete when the BRS demitted office.

Questioning the contrast between water being taken towards Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, about 700 km away from the Krishna basin and crops withering in the Palamuru region, he alleged that nearly 1,000 TMCft of Krishna and Godavari River water was allowed to flow downstream without adequate utilisation.

He said farmers were facing multiple problems, including delayed Rythu Bharosa payments, incomplete farm loan waivers, inadequate crop procurement, fertiliser shortages and power cuts. He reminded that the government skipped Rythu Bharosa payments on three occasions and failed to deliver promised crop bonuses.

Contrasting the situation with the previous BRS regime, the former Minister pointed to the restoration of 46,000 tanks under Mission Kakatiya, 24-hour farm power supply, Rs 73,000 crore disbursed through 11 installments of Rythu Bandhu and Rs 5 lakh Rythu Bima cover. He recalled that the then BRS government procured every grain of produce even during the Covid pandemic.

Rama Rao accused the Congress government of neglecting other welfare commitments as well, citing pending pensions, fee reimbursement dues, Dalit Bandhu and minority assistance. He also raised the pending employees’ Dearness Allowance installments and Pay Revision Commission benefits, besides retirement benefits.

Targeting the BJP, he questioned why the Centre had sent drought assessment teams to Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh but not Telangana. He asked whether Telangana had no place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priorities. He challenged BJP MPs and MLAs from the State to demand assistance from the Centre.

He also accused Nirmal BJP MLA Aleti Maheshwar Reddy of failing to fulfil his election promises and remaining silent on the Congress government’s failures. He said the medical college, Sadarmat barrage and formation of Nirmal district were initiatives taken during the previous BRS government. He questioned the BJP legislator’s failure to raise local issues with the Congress government or confront the Centre over Telangana’s demands.

Calling the Congress and BJP equally responsible for neglecting the State, he urged voters to compare the ten years of BRS rule with the Congress government’s record before making their choice.

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