Revanth Reddy’s Delhi visits under scrutiny as Centre returns PRLIS DPR

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s repeated Delhi visits have come under criticism amid pending Central approvals for Telangana projects, with the Centre returning the PRLIS DPR over Krishna water issues. Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu meanwhile sought funds and project clearances.

Hyderabad: Criticism is mounting over Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s repeated futile visits to New Delhi ostensibly to seek Central funds and project approvals, even as his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu continues to bag financial assistance and approvals for major projects from the Centre.

Revanth Reddy has visited New Delhi about 79 times since the Congress government came to power in December 2023. During these visits, he has met union Ministers and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking funds and approvals for several projects. However, several of Telangana’s key demands continue to remain pending. All this after calling the Prime Minister his “Bade Bhai”
In the latest instance, the Centre has returned the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), stating that techno-economic appraisal could not be taken up because of unresolved inter-State issues concerning Krishna river waters. The DPR was returned to Telangana with a request for holistic planning to achieve the intended benefits of the project.

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The development has led to criticism of the State government, particularly over the delay in securing clearances for the irrigation project. People from the Chief Minister’s home district of Palamuru have been demanding early completion of PRLIS and other pending irrigation projects.

On several occasions, Revanth Reddy himself has said Telangana was not receiving adequate support from the Centre. At a recent conclave in New Delhi, he said several key projects, including Hyderabad Metro expansion, the Regional Ring Road and national highway projects, had been pending with the Centre.

On Thursday, both Chief Ministers were in the national capital. While farmers in Telangana were staging protests over inadequate power supply and water availability for their crops, Revanth Reddy had travelled to New Delhi on Wednesday and participated in the Congress party’s protest demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. He later attended AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge’s luncheon meeting with MPs of the INDIA bloc.

In contrast, Chandrababu Naidu used his Delhi visit to raise a range of Andhra Pradesh’s financial, irrigation and infrastructure requirements with the Centre. His agenda included financial assistance for drought relief, the Polavaram project, river-linking proposals and approvals for major infrastructure projects.

Naidu sought Central assistance for projects linked to the upcoming Godavari Pushkarams. He highlighted the impact of deficient rainfall and El Nino conditions on Andhra Pradesh’s agricultural sector and sought support to address the situation.

He also sought the Centre’s support for major infrastructure projects, including the proposed Outer Ring Road in Amaravati. He sought approval for the Visakhapatnam Metro and briefed the Prime Minister on the proposed Beach Road project.

The contrasting approaches of the two Chief Ministers have triggered a fresh debate in Telangana over whether the State government is giving sufficient priority to securing Central approvals and funds for its pending projects.