In a sharp attack on the Congress government, former minister and BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao has accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of misleading the state assembly and the public regarding crucial irrigation projects, particularly the Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme.
Contradiction Over Rayalaseema Project Halt
During a detailed presentation at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao produced a statement from the Andhra Pradesh government that directly contradicts the Chief Minister's claims. The document revealed that work on the Rayalaseema scheme was halted due to a National Green Tribunal (NGT) stay order obtained by the previous BRS government in 2020, and not because of any intervention by Revanth Reddy.
Harish Rao demanded a public apology from the Chief Minister for taking credit for a legal victory that was secured during the K Chandrashekar Rao administration. He alleged that the Congress party has a historical record of betraying Telangana's interests, especially concerning water rights, and claimed the current government is continuing this negative legacy.
Neglect of Palamuru-Rangareddy & Kaleshwaram Projects
Turning to the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme, the BRS leader expressed serious concern that the project is being sidelined due to political vendetta. He pointed out that the Congress party originally failed to include this critical project in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
He noted that while the BRS regime secured all necessary clearances to advance the project, the current government has obtained none in the past two years. This neglect, he argued, has denied the state the opportunity to store 50 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water, causing significant harm to farmers in the Mahabubnagar region.
Harish Rao also slammed the government's management of the flagship Kaleshwaram project. He accused the Congress administration of deliberately keeping the project inactive to gain political mileage from the damage to a few pillars at the Medigadda barrage. He argued that spending just 100-200 crore rupees on repairs could enable water supply to 5-6 lakh acres of farmland.
The former minister highlighted that water could still be lifted from the Kannepalli pump house even without the barrage, but the government has chosen not to do so, leaving farmers in northern Telangana in distress. He contrasted the BRS government's heavy investment in the project with the current administration's zero spending on maintenance over two years.
Comparative Performance and Water Sharing Concerns
Challenging the Congress's claims on irrigation development, Harish Rao presented stark figures. He stated that during the Congress-led rule from 2004 to 2014, only 5.71 lakh acres of new ayacut (irrigated land) were created. In contrast, the BRS government created over 17 lakh acres and stabilised nearly 31.5 lakh acres in its 9.5-year tenure.
He criticised the present government for accepting what he called an unfair 66:34 water-sharing ratio with Andhra Pradesh for the Krishna river, a situation the BRS had actively contested. He revealed that under the current regime, the utilisation of Krishna water has plummeted to a historic low of just 28.49%.
Harish Rao further emphasised the slow pace of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project during the previous Congress regime. He noted that the BRS government completed 11.5 kilometres of tunnelling with an investment of 1,358 crore rupees. In comparison, the Congress government has managed to dig only 18 metres in the last two years.
He concluded with a warning, stating that the current government's neglect has already led to the collapse of essential structures like the Peddavagu and Vattem pump houses, jeopardising the state's water security and agricultural future.
