Making a point-by-point rebuttal of charges made against the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) built during the BRS rule, senior leader and Ghanpur (Station) MLA Kadiyam Srihari asserted that the KLIP proved a boon for Telangana by creating 3.04 lakh acres of new ayacut and stabilising 17.08 lakh acres, totalling 20,33,572 acres.
Mr. Srihari gave a PowerPoint presentation at Annaram barrage of the KLIP during the BRS’ Chalo Medigadda programme in Mahadevpur mandal of Jayashankar Bhupalpally district late on Friday evening. He was among a battery of BRS leaders, including MLAs, MPs and MLCs, who accompanied BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao to the barrage.
Earlier, the BRS leaders visited the Medigadda Barrage across the Godavari river in the same mandal.
Mr. Srihari explained the salient features of KLIP, claimed as the world’s largest multi-purpose project, aimed at drought-proofing Telangana, right from the conceptualisation (redesigning) stage, laying of foundation stone by former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, to its construction.
Strongly rebutting the allegations against the previous BRS government over the KLIP, he claimed that the project heralded multiple benefits in terms of massive expansion of irrigation, increase of agriculture production and recharge of ground water table.
False narratives
Siddipet MLA and former minister Harish Rao accused the ruling Congress party of propagating false narratives on KLIP and showing the damage to three piers of Medigadda Barrage through a magnifying glass for narrow political gains.
It is high time the Congress government ensure repairs to the barrage before the rainy season to protect the interests of farmers, he said, saying the Congress has no right to speak about corruption.
Mr. Rama Rao charged the Congress with unleashing a false propaganda against the BRS government over the issue. Terming the KLIP as a “Kamadhenu” (symbol of prosperity), he said it is imperative to safeguard the project to protect the interests of farmers. In order to defame the BRS, the Congress government is deliberately delaying repairs to the Medigadda barrage three piers of which were damaged, he alleged.
He added that Medigadda is one of the main components of the mega KLIP. It consists of total 3 barrages, 15 reservoirs, 19 power sub-stations, 21 pump houses, 203-km long tunnels, 1531-km long gravity canals, 98 km pressure mines, 141 tmc ft storage capacity, and utilization capacity of 240 tmc ft.
