Use Kaleshwaram fully to tackle drought, says Jeevan Reddy

BRS leader T Jeevan Reddy demanded full utilisation of the Kaleshwaram project to tackle drought-like conditions in Telangana. He accused the Congress government of wasting available river water and sought farm-loan relief, clearance of fee arrears and assistance for job-card holders

Hyderabad: BRS general secretary and former Minister T Jeevan Reddy on Friday demanded that the Congress government utilise the Kaleshwaram project to its full potential and fill reservoirs to protect Telangana from drought. He accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of allowing available water to go to waste for political reasons.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Jeevan Reddy said the drought-like situation in Telangana was not merely a consequence of El Niño and poor rainfall, but also the result of the Congress government’s alleged failure to utilise available water in the Godavari and Krishna rivers. Nearly one lakh cusecs of water was flowing into the sea, he claimed.

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Jeevan Reddy said former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had conceived Kaleshwaram to help Telangana withstand rainfall deficits and drought conditions. However, he alleged that the Congress government was avoiding water lifting from Kannepalli and had sidelined the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages to deny credit to Chandrashekhar Rao.

“Constructing a cofferdam at Medigadda would enable water lifting from there as well,” he said, urging Revanth Reddy to set aside political differences.

Jeevan Reddy called for urgent relief measures, including rescheduling farm loans, immediate clearance of fee reimbursement arrears, deferment of tuition fees and monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 to families holding VB-G RAMG job cards.

He said the government should honour its election commitments and take steps to protect farmers from the crisis.