KTR alleges Congress conspiracy to undermine Kaleshwaram project

He raised doubts over the sudden deterioration of the Medigadda Barrage, which withstood the flow of 28 lakh cusecs of water and warned that any future damage to the barrage should be seen as part of this conspiracy by the Congress.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday said the Congress government was conspiring to undermine the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project by raising concerns about the structural integrity of Medigadda Barrage just before the Assembly elections. He raised doubts over the sudden deterioration of the Medigadda Barrage, which withstood the flow of 28 lakh cusecs of water and warned that any future damage to the barrage should be seen as part of this conspiracy by the Congress.

In an informal interaction with mediapersons at the BRS Legislative Party office here on Saturday, Rama Rao criticised the Congress government for its handling of the Kaleshwaram project, saying the ruling party was attempting to portray the project as a failure. He pointed out that despite the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report, the government had not taken adequate measures to lift sufficient water from the Kannepally pump house.

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The BRS working president pointed out that 90 TMC of water from the Godavari River was being wasted, which was equivalent to the capacity of Sri Ram Sagar project. “There is no other option but to lift water from the Kannepally pump house. Now there are no elections and hence, we must give priority to people’s needs over politics,” he urged.

He emphasized the benefits of the Kaleshwaram project, describing it as an “insurance against drought,” particularly crucial given the State’s current 40 percent rainfall deficit. He argued that the cost of electricity to operate the pumps should not outweigh the necessity of providing water to farmers and ensuring drinking water supply.

Rama Rao said the BRS would take the further course of action for releasing water from the Kannepally pump house after discussing the issue with party president and former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao after August 2. “Engineers say that the water can be lifted even if the barrage gates are open. It seems that the government is thinking of lifting the water in September, which is not correct. Reservoirs should be filled while there is adequate water,” he said.

He also reflected on the political fallout from the previous election, suggesting that the BRS lost due to inadequate promotion of their achievements, including the Kaleshwaram project. Attributing the delay in the Old City Metro Rail project to pressure from the AIMIM to change the alignment, he said the Airport Metro project, which included a rail corridor, was proposed during the BRS government to avoid land acquisition issues.

He found fault with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for speaking like an opposition leader than a head of State. “The way he spoke about L&T in the Assembly was not good. This sends the wrong message to investors. Is L&T a small company? If the Chief Minister talks like that, how will the State get investments?” he asked, also criticising Revanth Reddy’s tendency to see scams everywhere, specifically defending the distribution of crores of Bathukamma sarees.

Dismissing allegations of corruption, he welcomed the government to investigate any initiatives of the BRS regime. He hinted at scandals involving the Chief Minister’s brothers, Kondal Reddy and Tirupati Reddy, and other associates. “We will reveal everything when necessary. Udaya Simha, Faheem Qureshi, Ajith Reddy, and Vem Narender Reddy are running a shadow cabinet,” he said.

Defending the previous government’s affidavit in the Supreme Court regarding Shah Wali Dargah, he challenged Revanth Reddy to take a different stance and lashed out at the Congress government for merely changing names without implementing substantial policies. “This government has done nothing except changing the names. The Chief Minister is obsessed about changing names,” he said.

Rama Rao also raised concerns about plans to replace the Dharani portal, suggesting that it could lead to land scandals. He suspected huge irregularities in the skyrocketing costs of the Musi Riverfront Development project by 10 times within a shortspan. He pointed out that the Revanth Reddy government failed to give clarity on fixing electricity meters to agricultural pump sets till date.

Responding to a query, Rama Rao said he would be available to the party cadre at Telangana Bhavan on a daily basis, after the Assembly session concludes, to address their issues and chalk out future action plans to raise people’s issues.