In a sharp attack on the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and its former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Telangana's Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday held the previous government responsible for the state's current water troubles. He accused the BRS regime of committing "historical blunders" and making "suicidal" decisions regarding the crucial Krishna river water allocation and the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).
Allegations of Injustice and Catastrophic Decisions
Addressing the state assembly with a detailed PowerPoint presentation, Minister Reddy asserted that the BRS government inflicted gross injustice on Telangana. He stated that the decisions taken by the previous administration had a catastrophic effect on the youngest state. The minister specifically targeted the handling of the Krishna water issue, alleging that the BRS compromised Telangana's rightful share.
Reddy detailed how, in the 2016 Apex Council meeting, the BRS government conceded 512 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of Krishna water to Andhra Pradesh, leaving Telangana with a mere 299 tmcft. This allocation, he claimed, was endorsed in 2020 to remain until the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal (KWDT-2) finalizes the shares. He vowed that the current Congress government is fighting for a 71% share, amounting to roughly 1,050 tmcft of Krishna water before the tribunal.
Focus on Palamuru Project and Stalling AP's Moves
The minister made a firm commitment to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy project with its original design capacity of 90 tmcft. He emphasized that this would irrigate over 12 lakh acres across the united Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts. Reddy contrasted this with the BRS era, alleging that while the Kaleshwaram project's daily water drawal capacity was increased from 2 tmcft to 3 tmcft, the Palamuru project's capacity was reduced from 1.5 tmcft per day to just 1 tmcft.
He outlined the state government's efforts to protect Telangana's interests, including filing a writ petition in the Supreme Court and writing to the Central Water Commission (CWC). The minister also mentioned meeting Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil to stall the Polavaram-Nallamala Sagar link project, which he claims involves illegal drawal and diversion of Krishna and Godavari waters by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Questioning BRS's Irrigation Spending Priorities
Uttam Kumar Reddy raised serious questions about the financial management of irrigation projects under the BRS rule. He alleged that the previous government spent a colossal ₹1.83 lakh crore on various irrigation projects over ten years. However, it ignored several pending projects in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district that were critical for the region's development.
The minister listed projects like Bhima, Nettampadu, Koilsagar, and Kalwakurthy, stating they could have been completed with just ₹7,400 crore and would have irrigated approximately eight lakh acres. This, he implied, highlighted a misalignment of priorities that failed to address the water needs of drought-prone areas effectively.
The assembly address sets the stage for a continued political battle over water resources, with the Congress government positioning itself as the rectifier of past mistakes while the BRS is likely to counter these allegations as political rhetoric.
