Harish counters Congress charges with facts and figures

Regarding the handing over of projects to KRMB, the former Minister said during the 17th Board meeting, the BRS government had clearly opposed handing over the projects.

Hyderabad: Dubbing the white paper on the irrigation sector as a false paper, former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao countered the Congress charges with facts and figures in the Assembly.

He said the white paper was marred with false facts and pointed out about four to five such mistakes.

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The intention of the government in presenting the white paper appears to mudsling the previous government rather than presenting correct facts before the people, he said.

To begin with, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that the Mid Manair was completed during the Congress rule. In fact, the BRS government spent Rs.775 crore and completed the project against the Rs.106 crore spent by previous Congress government, he said.

On Page One of the white paper, the expenditure from 1956 to 2014 on irrigation was said to be Rs.54,234 crore and 57.79 lakh acres ayacut created. In another page, it was mentioned that 41.76 lakh ayacut was created, contradicting the earlier figure, he pointed out.

When the Irrigation Minister said it included expenditure before 1956, Harish Rao wondered whether expenditure for projects in the Nizam’s era too were included in the paper.

Similarly, the government had alleged that the BRS government did not protest or lodge a complaint over the Rayalaseema Lift project.

Within a week of the GO issued by the Andhra Pradesh government, the BRS government had complained to the union government and Krishna River Management Board (KRMB).

In fact, a stay was obtained from the High Court, Harish Rao said. Regarding the handing over of projects to KRMB, the former Minister said during the 17th Board meeting, the BRS government had clearly opposed handing over the projects.

In contrast, the Congress government, during a meeting on January 17 this year had agreed to hand over the projects. The Minutes of Meeting clearly mention about handing over 15 components to KRMB, he said.

On the need for reengineering the Pranahita Chevella project, the former Minister said it was considered as per the Central Water Commission recommendations, citing lack of water and storage as well.

Further, the past Congress government had conceived the project with Rs.17,825 crore and within one year, the cost had increased to Rs.38,500 crore.

After laying foundation for the project in 2007, the Congress government till 2012 had spent Rs.168 crore out of the Rs.38,500 crore estimated cost, he said, adding that bills worth Rs.1,426 crore towards mobilization advance for survey were approved.

BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao had appealed to the union government twice to accord national status to Pranahita project but it was not considered.

The Tummadihatti location had to be changed as the Maharashtra government raised objections. Interestingly, when the Congress was in power in the State earlier, it could not obtain permissions for seven years despite Congress being in power in Maharashtra and at the Centre, he said.

On the alleged corruption and irregularities in the irrigation sector, Harish Rao said the Congress government was in power in Telangana and it was free to order any probe and initiate any action. eom