Minister for Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has condemned the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS)‘s charge that the Congress government has decided to hand over the projects on Krishna and Godavari river basins to the Centre.
Mr.Reddy said there was no question of handing over the projects to the Centre unless the justified share of Telangana in the river waters is achieved. “There is no proposal or direction for handing over the projects to Krishna River Management Board,” he added.
He also took objection to former Minister T. Harish Rao’s comments casting aspersions on the Congress government which took over the reins of the State less than two months ago, saying: “The BRS government has in fact killed the interests of Telangana by repeatedly agreeing to 299 tmcft as share of the State in the meetings convened by the Central government.”
Mr.Reddy alleged that former Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy colluded to deprive Telangana of its justified share of Krishna river waters. This could be seen from the fact that the A.P. government had issued an order diverting 8 tmcft a day from the foreshores of Srisailam project after a meeting between the two leaders.
“The neighbouring State deployed its police force at Nagarjunasagar project on the polling day. Is it not a clear conspiracy between Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao and Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy who were at the helm then,” he asked. He recalled how Mr.Chandrasekhar Rao, who was holding the Irrigation portfolio earlier, skipped the meeting of the Apex Council on August 5, 2020.
The BRS president was aware of the fact that tenders for the Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme would be finalised on August 10 of the same year and hence, skipped the Apex Council meeting to facilitate the neighbouring State to complete the formalities pertaining to the project works, he alleged.
He also criticised the BRS government for its utter neglect of the irrigation sector as could be seen from the incomplete works on projects like Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).
“The previous government has resorted to cost escalation of PRLIS from time to time. As a result, not a single acre new ayacut has been created under the project after spending ₹27,500 crore,” he said. He ridiculed the BRS for its plans to tap 2 tmcft of Godavari water by spending ₹1 lakh crore in the name of Kaleshwaram project which involved a running cost of ₹10,000 crore every year.
