KTR demands expert committee on Medigadda

Farmers were already facing a water crisis and officials had declared that water could not be provided after March 31.

Hyderabad: Demanding that State government constitute an expert committee on Medigadda and initiate rectification measures, BRS working president KT Rama Rao said if there were any lapses in the project, the Congress government was free to take action.

Farmers were already facing a water crisis and officials had declared that water could not be provided after March 31. There were still four months for the monsoon to arrive and delaying repairs further would cast an adverse impact, he said, adding that this was “criminal negligence and cruel politics”.

---

Speaking to media persons here on Thursday, the BRS working president came down heavily on the NDSA report. Never in history had the NDSA submitted a report in just two days. The NDSA’s Medigadda report was politically motivated and cooked up with no soil samples collected nor any hydrology tests conducted, he said.

On the charges that BRS government did not cooperate with the NDSA, he replied that during elections, the entire administration was under the Election Commission’s control. The NDSA team could have complained to the EC but it did not, he said.

Referring to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s comments citing NDSA report, the BRS working president wondered how the Congress government was welcoming a central agency probe. “In that case, they should also welcome CBI and ED probes in different issues,” Rama Rao said.

Regarding the Congress party’s reported plans to visit Palamuru Ranga Reddy Lift Irrigation scheme on Friday, the BRS working president said the BRS government had completed 80 percent of the work on the project. Already, one pump house was operated and reservoirs were constructed.

The Congress government should expedite construction of canals to supply water, he said appealing that political upmanship should be set aside and people’s welfare should be accorded top priority.

BRS leaders and elected public representatives would visit Medigadda and Annaram barrages on Friday. After inspecting the Medigadda barrage, a presentation would be made at Annaram barrage. A team of experts are also inspecting the barrages independently and could submit its report to the State government, he said.

“The sinking of pillars at Medigadda is not a first of its kind incident and there were issues at Kadem, Nagarjuna Sagar while Musi flood gates were washed away in the past,” Rama Rao said. However, for the last 83 days, the Congress government, but for accusing the previous government and releasing white papers, had not taken up any rectification measures at Medigadda.