Harish Rao writes to Uttam seeking Rs 30 crore for Siddipet irrigation works

Former minister T Harish Rao has written to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy seeking Rs 30 crore for Ananthagiri Sagar and Ranganayaka Sagar works in Siddipet district, alleging neglect of key irrigation projects by the Congress government.

Siddipet: Former Minister T Harish Rao demanded that Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy sanction Rs 15 crore each for Ananthagiri Sagar and Ranganayaka Sagar to enable officials to take up land acquisition and works on minor and sub minor canals.

In a letter addressed to the Irrigation Minister on Tuesday, Harish Rao said the combined Rs 30 crore grant for the two projects would help increase the ayacut by one lakh acres. Accusing the Congress government of ignoring his repeated requests, he said he had written several letters and also met the Irrigation Minister several times seeking the funds, but without any response.

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Referring to the Congress government’s slogan of “less expenditure and more irrigation”, Rao said it was unable to release even Rs 30 crore that could bring one lakh acres under irrigation in Siddipet district. He said the BRS government had brought one lakh acres under irrigation between 2020 and 2023 under Ananthagiri Sagar and Ranganayaka Sagar by taking up canal and distributary works, but alleged that no efforts were made by the present government to further improve the ayacut.

Rao also recalled that during the BRS regime, water from the two projects was released into check dams, lakes, streams and canals during every yasangi season. He also accused the Congress government of completely ignoring Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar, Ranganayaka Sagar and Ananthagiri Sagar, which he described as lifelines of Siddipet.