Harish Rao demands immediate Medigadda repairs, calls Tummidihatti visit publicity stunt
BRS leader T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government over the Tummidihatti project, questioned conflicting statements by Ministers, demanded immediate Medigadda repairs, and alleged delays, inadequate allocations and misleading claims regarding the Pranahita-Chevella project.
Hyderabad: Calli ng the Congress Ministers’ visit to Tummidihatti a publicity exercise, BRS Deputy Floor Leader T Harish Rao demanded that the Congress government immediately repair the Medigadda pillars and ensure irrigation and drinking water supply.
Speaking at a press conference in Siddipet on Saturday, Harish Rao said the government should prioritise Medigadda repairs in view of warnings about a possible drought due to the El Nino effect.
Referring to Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy’s statement that an agreement had been reached to construct the project at a height of 150 metres, Harish Rao questioned why no major works were taken up during the Congress rule in the undivided State if such an agreement already existed.
“It has been two and a half years since the Congress government came to power in Telangana. Why has it not initiated substantial works at Tummidihatti in the last 30 months?” he asked.
Harish Rao said former Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had earlier written to then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy stating that works were being pursued unilaterally without an agreement with Maharashtra. He said the Maharashtra government had warned in the letter that such efforts would ultimately prove futile.
The BRS MLA accused Congress Ministers of making contradictory statements and misleading the public.
He pointed out that Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao had stated that water would flow to Yellampalli through gravity, while Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy spoke about diverting water to the Sundilla barrage. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, on the other hand, had said water would be lifted from Tummidihatti to Yellampalli through a lift irrigation system.
Harish Rao also questioned why Revanth Reddy had recently sought Union Minister G Kishan Reddy’s intervention with the Maharashtra government to permit construction of a barrage at 150 metres if, as Vivek Venkatswamy claimed, an agreement had already been reached.
He said issues involving neighbouring States should be handled through dialogue and diplomacy. Harish Rao questioned how Maharashtra would cooperate if the Telangana government adopted a confrontational approach.
He further alleged that the Congress government had failed to resolve environmental and legal hurdles linked to Tummidihatti, including issues related to the Eco-Sensitive Zone, forest land concerns and a pending Supreme Court case, despite repeatedly mentioning the project in its election manifesto.
Harish Rao also questioned the budget allocations made for the Pranahita-Chevella project.
“In 2024-25, only Rs.2 crore was allocated, followed by Rs.30 crore in 2025 and Rs.50 crore this year. Will these allocations be sufficient for a project of that scale?” he asked.
The former Irrigation Minister alleged that despite previously being in power at the Centre, in Maharashtra and in undivided Andhra Pradesh, the Congress had failed to make progress on the project.
He said the Congress had promised to complete the project within four years but neither conducted surveys nor executed substantial works during its tenure. At the same time, mobilisation advances worth Rs.2,300 crore were raised without meaningful progress on the ground, he alleged.
Harish Rao claimed that the actual expenditure on Pranahita-Chevella works and land acquisition during the Congress regime was Rs.3,780 crore. He accused Revanth Reddy of making misleading claims that works worth Rs.11,000 crore had been completed.
The former Minister also alleged that departments under the Union Ministry of Water Resources had earlier stated that sufficient water availability was not present at Tummidihatti and had suggested identifying an alternative site.
“The Congress government is selectively presenting portions of a letter written by former Union Minister Uma Bharti while ignoring references to inadequate water availability at the site,” he alleged.
Harish Rao further pointed out that Revanth Reddy, while associated with the Telugu Desam Party, had criticised the Pranahita-Chevella project during the YS Rajasekhara Reddy regime. After joining the Congress, he was now praising the same project, he said.
Comparing water availability at Medigadda and Tummidihatti, Harish Rao claimed that while 6,400 cusecs of water were flowing downstream at Medigadda even during summer, only 2,000 cusecs were available at Tummidihatti.
He also alleged that out of the proposed 500 borewells at Medigadda, not even five had been completed. The Congress government was deliberately delaying repairs to the Medigadda pillars for political reasons, he charged.
