Niranjan Reddy counters Revanth Reddy’s claims on irrigation projects

Former Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy criticised Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s remarks on irrigation projects, defending the BRS government’s record on the Palamuru-Rangareddy scheme and accusing the Congress government of delays, cost escalation and failure to complete major projects.

Hyderabad: Former Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Friday rubbished Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy‘s claims on irrigation projects during his Palamuru tour. He accused the latter of attempting to discredit the works completed during the BRS regime and cover up his failures.

Referring to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Niranjan Reddy said works worth nearly Rs 35,200 crore were executed during the BRS government. He pointed out that the Chief Minister himself had admitted that around Rs 27,000 crore had already been spent. He challenged Revanth Reddy to release details supporting his claim that Rs 52,121 crore was paid towards principal and interest on irrigation loans.

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He said that while in opposition, the Congress filed several cases against the Palamuru-Rangareddy project and, after assuming power, cancelled canal tenders, which resulted in cost escalation. He added that nearly 26,800 acres of the required 27,100 acres for the project were acquired during the previous regime, leaving the acquisition of only 300 acres pending.

Niranjan Reddy also took exception to the Chief Minister’s remarks on water utilisation calculations, stating that established irrigation norms cannot be altered arbitrarily. He warned that any deviation could weaken Telangana’s rightful claims before the Central Water Commission and adversely affect the State’s water rights.

The former Minister said the BRS government completed several long-pending lift irrigation projects abandoned during previous Congress regimes and replaced the practice of mobilisation advances with a work-based payment system.

Questioning the Congress government’s performance over the last 30 months, Niranjan Reddy said not a single major irrigation project had been completed despite repeated assurances. He also sought an explanation as to why the Detailed Project Report for the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, which was returned by the Centre, was not addressed during the Chief Minister’s visit.

Alleging that the Palamuru tour was aimed more at political messaging than project execution, he said the government should focus on completing pending works and delivering irrigation benefits.