Jeevan Reddy urges Telangana to fully utilise Kaleshwaram project

BRS leader T Jeevan Reddy accused the Congress government of underutilising the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme despite adequate Godavari water availability. He urged immediate operation of the Kannepalli pump house and defended the previous BRS government's decision to shift the barrage site to Medigadda.

Hyderabad: BRS general secretary and former Minister T Jeevan Reddy criticised the Congress government over its failure to fully utilise the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) during the ongoing monsoon season. He urged Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy to act like a statesman and operate the Kannepalli pump house to ensure optimum utilisation of Godavari River water for the benefit of farmers.

With Telangana facing the prospect of prolonged water shortages, he said the Kaleshwaram project remained crucial for irrigation and drinking water. He urged the government to resume lifting water from the Kannepalli pump house instead of using the National Dam Safety Authority as an excuse to delay action.

---

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Jeevan Reddy said the Congress government was not lifting adequate water from the Godavari River through the Kaleshwaram project, despite its availability, only to target former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao. He also ridiculed the Congress’s promise to construct the Tummidihatti barrage, reminding that the Congress governments at the Centre, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra between 2004 and 2014 had failed to reach an agreement on constructing the barrage at Tummidihatti at 152 metres.

The former Minister said the proposal became unviable after Maharashtra did not agree to the proposed height. “The decision by the previous BRS government to shift the proposed barrage site from Tummidihatti to Medigadda was driven by water availability and Maharashtra’s refusal to agree to the increased height,” he asserted.

He stated that only 40 TMCft of water was available at Tummidihatti, compared with about 240 TMCft at Medigadda, prompting the shift.

Jeevan Reddy said the Sripada Yellampally project, which was commissioned on August 4, 2016, formed part of the larger Kaleshwaram system, and the massive pumps installed during the BRS regime were now being used to lift water towards Mid Manair.