Harish Rao criticises Uttam Kumar Reddy over Kaleshwaram project

In a statement, Harish Rao ridiculed Uttam Kumar Reddy complaining about the costs and annual electricity bills for operating the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme.

Hyderabad: Giving a strong counter to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao criticised the State government over mishandling of the Kaleshwaram project. He held the Congress government and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) responsible for delaying the repair works at Medigadda barrage with political motives. He urged the former to put aside political criticism and focus on resuming operation of the Kaleshwaram project.

In a statement, Harish Rao ridiculed Uttam Kumar Reddy complaining about the costs and annual electricity bills for operating the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. He listed several projects initiated during the previous Congress government in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, such as Pranahita-Chevella and Kalwakurthy, all of them being lift irrigation schemes, requiring huge electricity for water supply. He warned that without Kaleshwaram project, Telangana could face severe droughts, farmer suicides and migration issues once again.

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The former Irrigation Minister pointed out that the floods in Godavari River in 2022 and 2023 had caused significant structural damages at the Medigadda barrage and led to sinking of three piers. He slammed Uttam Kumar Reddy for making contradictory statements over initiating measures to strengthen the foundation of the Medigadda barrage and also being unable to take up even soil tests due to the flood.

He criticised the NDSA for its inadequate response and lack of timely recommendations. He said while the NDSA delayed its report without visiting the project site initially, the Congress government in the State delayed it further without resorting to timely action. He pointed out that about four months of valuable time was wasted with political motives, rather than carrying out repair works.

“The State government did not allow the Irrigation department engineers to take any measures before the NDSA report is submitted. Now, the works are being delayed further citing flood. The Congress government should take complete responsible for any further damage caused to the barrage due to its negligence,” Harish Rao said, urging Uttam Kumar Reddy to ensure that the NDSA provided a comprehensive report on permanent protection measures for the barrage.

Harish Rao also countered Uttam Kumar Reddy proposing a new project at Thummidihatti, stating that previous Congress governments failed to secure necessary approvals for the proposed project, especially from Maharashtra which faces a submergence issue. He said the project would require costly lift mechanisms even today. He advised the Irrigation Minister to consult the Maharashtra government before initiating any works pertaining to Thummidihatti failing which it would be unnecessary burden on the State exchequer. He said the proposal was shelved considering multiple issues involved including submergence in Maharashtra, Chapral reserve forest and also technical challenges. He ridiculed the argument that water can be supplied from Thummidihatti to Yellampalli project using gravity, terming it as evidence for the Minister’s lack of understanding.

Harish Rao reiterated that re-engineering efforts have only improved the water storage capacity of reservoirs without compromising on pumping water from Yellampalli. He asserted that both Pranahita-Chevella and Kaleshwaram were multi-stage lift irrigation schemes with similar electricity costs.

The senior BRS leader emphasised the achievements of the BRS government in securing funds and approvals for the Kaleshwaram project, while criticising the current administration for its delays and mismanagement. He stated that the previous BRS government spent Rs 94,000 crore for the Kaleshwaram project and succeeded in stabilisation of around 17 lakh acres of ayacut under Sri Ram Sagar and Nizam Sagar projects as well as various checkdams and irrigation tanks, besides providing fresh ayacut of 98,000 acres.

He said the Kaleshwaram project pumped around 162 TMC from Medigadda, 172 TMC from Annaram, 177 TMC from Sundilla, 184 TMC from Nandimedaram pump house, 180 TMC from Gayatri pump house, 50 TMC from Mid Manair, 46 TMC from Annapurna, 41 TMC from Ranganayaka Sagar, and 18 TMC from Mallanna Sagar to Kondapochamma Sagar.