Kaleshwaram, Tummidihatti projects rock Telangana Assembly amid El Nino debate

The Telangana Assembly witnessed heated exchanges over Kaleshwaram and Tummidihatti projects during an El Nino debate, with the BJP demanding action on irrigation and barrage repairs. Ministers blamed the previous BRS government and sought Central assistance to tackle the water crisis.

Hyderabad: The Kaleshwaram and Tummidihatti projects rocked the Assembly on Friday during a debate on El Nino remedial measures, with heated exchanges between the ruling Congress and BJP over the delay in restoring the Kaleshwaram barrages or constructing the Tummidihatti project even after 33 months of the Congress government.

BJP floor leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy accused the government of using El Nino to cover up its failures and urged it to stop blaming the previous BRS regime. He demanded immediate steps to utilise Godavari river water, fill reservoirs and tanks and either restore Kaleshwaram or take up the Tummidihatti project. He questioned the delay in acting on the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report and sought a clear timeline for barrage repairs.

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Intervening during the discussion, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy attributed the drought situation to the 10-year BRS rule as well as El Nino. He maintained that the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages were unsafe for storing water and not fit for use, and the government could not risk public safety by operating them.

He said the BJP floor leader was misleading the House on the NDSA report, reiterating that the restoration works were delayed only as per the recommendations of the NDSA. He demanded that BJP leaders take the initiative in convincing both the Centre and the Maharashtra government for speedy construction of the Tummidihatti project.

BJP MLA Palvai Harish Babu said the Congress had failed to resolve irrigation problems in its 33 months in office. Referring to the government’s assessment that the State had only 462 TMCft against a project storage capacity of 808 TMCft, he questioned why Pranahita river water, which received around 607 TMCft of inflows since January, was not being utilised.

Another BJP MLA, Payal Shankar, urged implementation of the PM Fasal Bima Yojana to provide relief to farmers. He also wanted the State Level Bankers Meeting convened to consider deferment of agricultural loan collections in view of the El Nino crisis.

CPI floor leader Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao cautioned against turning El Nino into a political blame game. While acknowledging problems with Kaleshwaram, he urged the government to explore immediate alternatives, complete pending works and consider small link canals connecting available Godavari and Krishna waters. He also sought crop-loss compensation and coordinated assistance from the Centre.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said 17 districts had recorded rainfall deficits of 20 to 46 per cent and sought greater Central assistance to tackle the crisis.

Ministers D Seethakka and Ponnam Prabhakar stated that El Nino was a world-wide phenomenon and the Congress government in Telangana alone could not provide relief to people. They blamed the Centre’s failure to provide any relief measures, including financial assistance.

During the five-hour marathon debate, the Congress government sought to explain Telangana’s worsening water situation by blaming the previous BRS regime for the crisis, even as Ministers offered assurances that the State was prepared to tackle the impact of El Nino. The government said it was monitoring reservoirs, protecting drinking water supplies and planning for the next agricultural season, but offered no comprehensive relief plan.