Harish Rao vows restoration of Medigadda; questions double standards of NDSA

T Harish Rao slammed the Congress government’s criticism of the Kaleshwaram project, calling it a conspiracy to tarnish BRS and KCR. He said the BRS would restore Medigadda if voted back and accused Revanth Reddy of political vendetta

Hyderabad: Calling the Congress government’s allegations against the Kaleshwaram project a conspiracy to portray it as a failure, former Minister and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao asserted that the BRS would not allow it to succeed. The BRS would return to power after two years and restore Medigadda barrage to supply irrigation water, he declared.

“If the Congress takes up repairs immediately, it is fine. If not, once BRS comes back, we will fix both technical and political problems and prove once again that Kaleshwaram is a blessing for Telangana. Even Revanth Reddy knows this fact, but he just doesn’t want the people to realise it,” he said, while making a presentation countering the allegations made by the Congress government over the Justice PC Ghose Commission’s report on the Kaleshwaram project.

---

He wondered if the Kaleshwaram project was a failure, how was the Chief Minister planning to pump water from Mallanna Sagar, which is part of the Kaleshwaram project, to rejuvenate Musi river as part of the latter’s pet project Musi riverfront development.

Pointing to the quick intervention by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) after a minor incident at Medigadda, the MLA questioned its double standards. He said NDSA, which had turned a blind eye to the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh despite it suffering severe damage during the construction stage itself, had rushed to the Medigadda barrage, which developed a small crack.

“They came without being invited by the State government and submitted a report just three days before the elections. Is NDSA’s ethics uniform across States or selectively applied?” he asked.

The former Minister suspected that politics influenced NDSA’s actions.

“NDSA chairman Chandrashekhar Aiyar himself oversaw the Polavaram project construction. When it failed, where was the accountability? But when two pillars at Medigadda saw minor damage, blame was thrown at former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. Why no such scrutiny for SLBC, which collapsed under Congress rule?” he questioned.

Harish Rao came down heavily on the Congress government, charging it with orchestrating a political conspiracy to malign the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. He termed the PC Ghose Commission report on the project “baseless, one-sided and politically motivated”.

Stating that the Revanth Reddy government had utterly failed to deliver on its poll promises and address the challenges faced by the people, he stated that Revanth Reddy’s rule had turned into a joke.

“While students are on the streets protesting, the government is leaking selective findings of the Commission to the media even before formal notices reach us. The inquiry appears to be a planned conspiracy to tarnish KCR’s legacy,” he said.

The BRS leader questioned the credibility of the Commission, pointing out that several commissions have been formed many times in India and often don’t stand in the court.

“This one is no different, as it was formed to run a political serial. Revanth’s only goal is to harass KCR, not to serve the people,” he added.

Harish Rao also hit out at Uttam Kumar Reddy’s false claims about the Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi project.

“The actual expenditure during the previous Congress government was Rs 3,700 crore, but Uttam claims Rs 11,000 crore. Around Rs 2,000 crore was looted in the name of mobilisation advances,” he said.

He pointed out that Revanth Reddy started the Narayanpet-Kodangal Lift Irrigation Scheme without even a Detailed Project Report (DPR) or any permissions.

“Funds also have been released, without taking up any work. Should there be action against him as well?” he said.