KTR calls NDSA report ‘political fiction’, demands apology

Responding to the L&T statement, Rama Rao dismissed the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) report as a fabricated product of malicious imagination fueled by political motives. He accused both the State and Central governments of conducting a coordinated smear campaign against the Kaleshwaram project—the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation system—intended solely to target former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and discredit the achievements of the BRS.

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao welcomed the strong rebuttal by construction major L&T, questioning the NDSA report on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) without conducting basic technical and field study. He blasted the Congress and BJP for indulging in cheap politics over the Kaleshwaram project in general and Medigadda barrage in particular.

“I am glad that L&T is standing up against the utter political mudslinging via an unscientific report and pointing out what the BRS had always said. We were not wrong in calling it an NDA report,” he stated.

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Reacting to the L&T statement, Rama Rao termed the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) report a conjured up piece of vile imagination, driven by political agenda. He charged both the State and Central governments with orchestrating a smear campaign against the Kaleshwaram project, the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation system, purely to target former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and undermine BRS’s achievements.

“Without tests and without any scientific data, the Congress and BJP jointly kept attacking Kaleshwaram. One can create as many conspiracy theories as you feel like but the fact will remain, Kaleshwaram is the lifeline of Telangana and KCR garu is a visionary,” he added.

The BRS working president said Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had committed an unforgivable sin by letting political vengeance dry up Telangana’s farmlands, without taking up repair works at Medigadda barrage. He stated that over 500 farmers have died by suicide due to irrigation failures under the Congress regime.

He pointed to similar issues in the Polavaram project, where the damaged diaphragm wall was restored quickly, unlike Medigadda, which has been neglected for over 18 months. He demanded an unconditional apology from Revanth Reddy to Telangana’s farmers and also immediate restoration of Kaleshwaram project operations. He warned that farmers, pushed to the brink by misgovernance, would teach a lesson to those playing with their livelihoods.