KTR asks State govt to pump water from Kannepally pump house
On the second day, the BRS MLAs and MLCs delegation visited the Lakshmi Pumphouse on Friday. The delegation inspected the pumphouse and spoke to officials.
Hyderabad: Demanding an explanation from the State Government as to why water was not being pumped from the Lakshmi (Kannepally) pump house of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project despite sufficient water availability, BRS working president KT Rama Rao said if the Congress government did not respond before August 2, the BRS would reach the pump house with 50,000 farmers and start operating the pumps.
On the second day of their visit to different components of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, BRS MLAs and MLCs visited the Lakshmi pump house on Friday. The delegation inspected the pump house and spoke to officials, who told them that the pumps were in good condition and that there was sufficient flow of water to operate the pumps. Yet, the government was not taking any decisions to pump water and provide water to farming community, Rama Rao said.
The pumps can be operated at 30,000 cusecs water flow. Officials informed that there was 9.60 lakh cusecs flow, he said, stating that this was criminal negligence on part of the Congress government. “While there is sufficient water available and the pumps are in perfect condition, farmers’ interests are not being protected,” he said, adding that as a constructive opposition, the BRS was appealing to the Congress government to save the farmers from a crisis.
The elections were over, the Congress had attained power and now, politics should be set aside with work to be initiated to protect interests of farmers besides fulfilling the domestic and industrial requirements, he said at a press conference at Lakshmi pump house.
“The only reason behind the Congress government not operating the Lakshmi pump house is that once they do it, they have to admit that the Kaleshwaram project is the lifeline of Telangana. Before the elections, the Congress party had defamed the BRS government over the sinking of two pillars at Medigadda. But the barrage is now standing strong despite 10 lakh cusecs of water flowing down into the sea,” Rama Rao said.
The BRS was not trying to politicize the issue but was fighting for the farmers. Right from erstwhile Karimnagar, Warangal, Nalgonda and Siddipet, farmers in many constituencies were worried about water availability for the current season, he said.
Earlier, in January this year too, the BRS had made an appeal to the Congress government to pump water from the Lakshmi pump house and save the farmers, but the government did not consider the request, he added.
Apart from the dead storage of three tmcft, there was another 2 TMC at Lower Manair Dam, 5 TMC against 28 TMC at Mid Manair Dam and 25 TMC against 90 TMC at the Sriram Sagar project. The Basavapur reservoir was almost ready. Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Ananthasagar projects do not have any alternative option. There was scope for storing 75 to 80 TMC in these four reservoirs by pumping water, he pointed out.
On the State Government citing NDSA orders for pumping water, the BRS working president called it a bogus exercise. Officials informed that grouting was taken up and it was a regular exercise as part of operation and maintenance.
The KCR government had provided an excellent multipurpose lift Irrigation project to the State but the Congress government lacks political will and determination to make optimum use of the system,” Rama Rao added.
