Supplying water to farmers is a task, says Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy

Dismissing reports about him getting involved with the BJP and emerging as the next Chief Minister after Parliament elections, he said these were mere speculations.

Hyderabad: Asserting that the State government would ensure there was no drinking water scarcity this summer, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy however said supplying sufficient water to farmers would be a task.

This was due to insufficient rains and low water levels in reservoirs, he said, also accusing the previous government of negligence in maintaining required water levels. On the other hand, a few media publications were deliberately publishing reports and photographs of damaged crops to defame the Congress government, he said.

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Interestingly, though Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had said that the State government would approach Karnataka for water, Ponguleti said this would not be wise.

“At this juncture we cannot approach Karnataka as they too are facing a water crisis,” he said during an informal chat with the media here on Thursday.

He also said the process to extend Rythu Bharosa assistance to farmers holding less than five acres of land would be completed in a couple of days.

Dismissing reports about him getting involved with the BJP and emerging as the next Chief Minister after Parliament elections, he said these were mere speculations.

“I am just a sub junior in the party and it will be too ambitious on my part to aspire to become a Chief Minister,” Srinivas Reddy, said, reminding that only fruit bearing trees would always get hit.

As a responsible government, the Congress government would approach the union government seeking funds and projects for the State. Meeting the Prime Minister does not mean our government was colluding with the Centre, he said.

Stating that the Registration wing would be revamped and employees working for over two years in the same position would be relocated, the Minister said a white paper would be released on Dharani portal.

Exuding confidence that Congress party would win 11 seats in the State, he said “ours is a secular party and AIMIM will extend support to us. We too will contest from Hyderabad constituency.”

Regarding the possibilities of his brother Ponguleti Prasad Reddy securing the Khammam Lok Sabha seat, the Minister said that in the Congress party, until the B Form was issued, anything would be possible.