Revanth Reddy Defends Government’s Stand on Kanepally Pump Operations

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy criticised BRS leaders for demanding the operation of the Kanepally pump and urged judicious water use amid drought concerns. He also sought a December Assembly session to discuss El Niño and the Kaleshwaram project

Kodangal: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday was back to his usual vitriolitic attack in criticising BRS leaders for demanding the operation of the Kanepally pump to lift water for irrigation and drinking purposes. He said the leaders should be punished for their demand, despite substantial quantities of Godavari water flowing downstream into the sea every day.

Addressing the Mega Rythu Mela in Kodangal, Revanth Reddy said BRS leaders had demanded that the Kanepally pump be operated to lift water and supply it to Hyderabad for drinking purposes. He said they should be buried up to their necks at the same spot as punishment for the injustice they had allegedly committed in the past.

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Explaining the government’s position, the Chief Minister said the Medigadda barrage was designed to store 16 TMCft of water. Water could be lifted from the Kanepally pump house when the barrage was full. However, with the gates of the Annaram and Sundilla barrages kept open, there was no point in lifting water from Kanepally, he argued. “The BRS leaders lack this basic knowledge,” he said.

Revanth Reddy said the government was storing water flowing from Medigadda at Tupakulagudem. The same water was being lifted through the Devadula project and supplied to farmers, he explained. He added that water flowing downstream from the Devadula project was being stored under the Sitarama project. It was then supplied to lakhs of acres in the erstwhile Khammam district.

The Chief Minister recalled that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had laid the foundation stone for the Devadula project. He also said Rajiv Sagar was allotted to Telangana and Indira Sagar to Andhra Pradesh. He sought confirmation from Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, asking, “Am I correct?”

Revanth Reddy said people would have to use water judiciously over the next eight to 10 months. “There was a cyclone recently in Andhra Pradesh. But till next July, there will be no rains. The available water should be used for drinking purposes only,” he said, adding major irrigation projects, including Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, SRSP and Jurala, had no water due to the impact of El Nino, which he described as drought.

Considering the difficulties faced by farmers, the Agriculture Minister had organised the Mega Rythu Mela, the Chief Minister said. He added that the region had received rainfall a day before the event. “If our intentions and speech are good, God will bless us,” he said.

Revanth Reddy accused the previous BRS government of neglecting pending irrigation projects in the Palamuru region. He claimed that the Congress government was speeding up work on the Makthal-Narayanpet Lift Irrigation scheme.

The Chief Minister urged Assembly Speaker G Prasad Kumar to allow the Assembly session to be convened in December to discuss the impact of El Nino and the Kaleshwaram project. “We will share all the truth and expose the BRS leaders, and their skin will be hanged before the Assembly,” Revanth Reddy said.