Karnataka raising Almatti height by five metres, could impact Palamuru in future: KTR

BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government had failed to safeguard Telangana’s Krishna water interests and accused it of neglecting farmers’ power and irrigation needs. He raised concerns over Almatti, Jurala and Kalwakurthy projects

Wanaparthy: BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government had failed to safeguard Telangana’s interests in Krishna waters, allowing Karnataka to consider raising the height of the Almatti Dam, which he said could affect water availability to Palamuru in the future.

Taking advantage of what he described as the Congress government’s lack of planning to safeguard Telangana’s interests in Krishna waters, the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh governments were drawing up plans accordingly, he alleged.

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The Karnataka government was spending ₹1 lakh crore to raise the height of the Almatti Dam by five metres. “Why is Chief Minister Revanth Reddy not questioning Karnataka and protecting Telangana’s interests?” he asked at Pebbair on Saturday.

While Karnataka was spending such a huge amount on one project, Congress leaders in Telangana were finding fault with BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao for spending ₹88,000 crore on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and misleading people, he said.

Rama Rao visited the Gummadam and Pebbair power stations. While officials claimed that 12 hours of power were being supplied, farmers complained that they were not receiving a steady supply for even five or six hours a day. On some days, power supply was disrupted 10 to 12 times, he charged.

“This is the plight of farmers in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s native district. Farmers are taking to the streets due to the lack of electricity,” he said, alleging that farmers were suffering because of the government’s failure to ensure uninterrupted power supply.

Expressing concern over the Jurala project’s command area being on the verge of ruin, the BRS working president said 248 TMC of water had flowed into the Krishna river. Andhra Pradesh was siphoning off Krishna water, while only 18 TMC had been released to the Jurala ayacut during the entire season, he alleged.

Similarly, the Kalwakurthy pumps had not been operated properly and the Congress government had failed to operate even three pumps, he said. Less than 10 TMC of water had been supplied to the Kalwakurthy command area, he added.

“There is about 150 TMC of water in the Almatti and Narayanpur dams in Karnataka. Why cannot the Congress government in Telangana seek 5 TMC for farmers in our State?” Rama Rao asked, alleging that Revanth Reddy was offering Guru Dakshina to Chandrababu Naidu in the form of Krishna water.

Nearly 10,000 acres were under the Jurala ayacut and the Congress government would not be spared even if crops on a single acre withered, he warned.

A rally was conducted from the Pebbair town substation to Subhash Crossroads. Along with the BRS working president, former ministers Niranjan Reddy, Laxma Reddy and Srinivas Goud and others participated in the rally.

“Revanth Reddy is an honest politician. He promised to bring back the old days and has delivered exactly that, with farmers struggling for water and power to save their crops,” he said.

Rama Rao charged that the Congress government had failed to implement its promises on Rythu Bandhu and had caused hardship to farmers by not paying the Rythu Bima premium on time.

The BRS working president said the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme was nearly 90 per cent complete under the previous BRS government. The balance works were being delayed because the Congress government did not want BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao to get credit for the project, he alleged.