Politics can wait, not farmers, Harish Rao on Medigadda

Accuses Uttam Kumar Reddy of distorting NDSA report on Medigadda barrage for political gains

Hyderabad: In a pointed rebuttal, senior BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao countered Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s allegations over Medigadda barrage, charging him with distorting the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report for political gains. He urged the Congress government to prioritise farmers and expedite repairs at the Medigadda barrage instead of indulging in blame game.

“Politics can wait till elections, but farmers should not,” he asserted.

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Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Harish Rao criticised the Congress Minister for offering little substance beyond political rhetoric. He accused the Congress leadership of duplicity and deliberate misinformation, particularly concerning the Kaleshwaram project and Medigadda barrage.

NDSA’s selective activism

The former Irrigation Minister questioned the NDSA why it had not inspected Andhra Pradesh’s Polavaram project, despite the collapse of its diaphragm and guide walls, but rushed to visit Medigadda within five days of damage being reported. “Why this selective activism? Polavaram’s structural failures are far more serious, yet the NDSA remains silent,” he remarked, suggesting a political nexus between the Congress and BJP.

He noted that the NDSA report made no mention of corruption, but Uttam Kumar Reddy was hallucinating about it. “The total expenditure under the BRS government was around Rs.90,000 crore, yet the Congress continues to inflate the figure to Rs 1 lakh crore,” Rao said.

Harish Rao also questioned the timing of successive reports, pointing out that the preliminary report came before the Assembly elections, the interim report during Lok Sabha polls, and the final version right before the BRS’s silver jubilee celebrations. “The timing is clearly orchestrated to divert attention from our successful meeting and our leader K Chandrashekhar Rao’s powerful speech,” he said.

Congress’ failure at Tummidihetti

Harish Rao rejected allegations that the BRS shifted the project site from Tummidihetti to Medigadda for political reasons. He reminded that the Congress had ample opportunity between 2004 and 2011, when it ruled both Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, to sign an inter-State agreement for the Tummidihetti project but failed to do so.

“Despite laying a foundation stone in 2008, they neither signed an agreement nor secured water. Instead, they floated tenders and disbursed Rs.1,426 crore in mobilisation advances to contractors. This is classic Congress-style corruption,” he said.

Medigadda: A well-considered decision

Clarifying the rationale behind relocating the project, Harish Rao said the shift to Medigadda was made after the Maharashtra government formally objected to the Tummidihetti site. “The Central Water Commission (CWC) also wrote twice that 160 TMC was not available at Tummidihetti. Based on scientific assessments and administrative advice, we chose Medigadda, which now offers a larger ayacut and enhanced storage – scaled up from 16 TMC to 141 TMC,” he explained.

He also addressed concerns about cost escalation, attributing it to expanded storage capacity, increased ayacut, and fairer land acquisition. “We paid between Rs.8 lakh–Rs.11 lakh per acre as compensation against Rs.4 lakh-Rs.5 lakh under the previous Congress rule. Naturally, the cost rose. But every paisa was spent transparently, with even the loan sanctioned by Central agencies,” he said.

Taking a dig at Uttam Kumar Reddy’s allegations of obtaining huge loans, he remarked that unlike them, the BRS didn’t bribe brokers or mortgage lands, but obtained loans from the Central agencies. “They paid Rs.169 crore as commission to secure a Rs.10,000 crore loan by mortgaging land in Kancha Gachibowli.” he added.

Project impact

Harish Rao questioned how irrigation from Kondapochamma Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, and Mid-Manair continues if the Kaleshwaram project was, as claimed, a Rs.1 lakh crore scam. “The NDSA recommended rebuilding Block-7, not dismantling the entire barrage. If the project is useless, how is water reaching farms?” he asked.

Administrative collapse under Congress

The BRS leader criticised the current state of the Irrigation Department, noting that 15 out of 30 ENC and CE posts remain vacant, along with 40 of 57 Superintending Engineer posts. He ridiculed Uttam Kumar Reddy’s promise to revive Tummidihetti, pointing out that no work had begun even 16 months into their tenure. “If you are serious about irrigation, begin with repairs at Medigadda instead of indulging in blame games,” he said.

Harish Rao criticised the Congress’ hypocrisy in embracing the NDSA report, noting that Uttam Kumar Reddy had once opposed the NDSA Bill in Parliament, calling it unconstitutional. “Back then, they claimed it encroached on State powers. Today, they cite it as the gospel,” he said.

Stop misleading, start delivering

Terming Uttam Kumar Reddy’s statements as a mix of myths and mischief, Harish Rao urged the Congress government to stop misleading the public and instead, start delivering its promises instead of quoting half-baked statistics. He challenged the Congress to list the acres brought under irrigation during their tenure. “You promised 6.5 lakh acres. You haven’t delivered even 6,000. SLBC collapsed, Pedda Vagu breached, and Vattam Vagu washed away under your watch. Yet you lecture us on transparency,” he said.