Congress government left farmers in lurch to prove Kaleshwaram as failure: KTR

Despite previous criticisms of the project's efficacy, he noted the sudden release of water to Karimnagar, indicating political maneuvering rather than genuine concern for farmers' welfare.

Nalgonda: Holding the Congress-led government responsible for the drought-like crisis in Telangana, BRS working president KT Rama Rao pointed out the government’s failure to utilise the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) effectively, leading to water scarcity across the State.

Despite previous criticisms of the project’s efficacy, he noted the sudden release of water to Karimnagar, indicating political maneuvering rather than genuine concern for farmers’ welfare.

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“As we have been pointing out, this drought is not a result of natural circumstances but rather the incompetence of the ruling Congress party. To showcase that the Kaleshwaram project is a failure and to blame the BRS regime, the State government emptied all barrages and released water downstream citing the Medigadda barrage inspection. Instead, they could have lifted the available water to fill all water bodies upstream and avoided this crisis to a large extent,” he said.

Rama Rao, who called on farmers Ganneboina Mallaiah Yadav and Byreddy (Borewell) Ram Reddy in Mushampally village of Nalgonda district on Monday, enquired with them about their crops.

He assured that the BRS would fight on behalf of farmers and pressurise the government to fulfill its promises. He called out the Congress leaders for their failure to address the crisis effectively, urging them to prioritise welfare of farmers over political agenda.

The State government was shocked at the response to former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s visit to Nalgonda and Suryapet districts on Sunday.

Ahead of his proposed visit to Karimnagar and Rajanna-Sircilla districts on April 5, the government released water from Sripada Yellampally project as a firefighting measure, he said, asking Congress leaders who termed the Kaleshwaram project as a mammoth failure until yesterday, to explain how water could be released from Sripada Yellampally project to Karimnagar using the massive pumps of the KLIP.

Stating that the State government was not taking contingency measures to safeguard drying crops in lakhs of acres only to cause disrepute to Chandrashekhar Rao and prove the Kaleshwaram project as a failure, Rama Rao demanded immediate relief measures for farmers.

He cited the plight of Borla Ramireddy, a symbol of Telangana farmers’ struggles, underscoring the drastic decline in agricultural conditions under the current regime compared to the BRS rule.

Challenging the government’s apathy, the BRS working president asked Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his Ministers to visit affected areas like Mushampally and confront the harsh realities faced by farmers.

Former Minister G Jagadish Reddy and other leaders were also present.