Uttam Faults BRS For Helping AP At Cost Of TG In Irrigation

Nalgonda: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday accused the previous BRS government of harming Telangana’s interests in the sharing of Krishna and Godavari waters through “negligent” agreements with Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking to the media after inspecting the Jawahar Janpahad Lift Irrigation Scheme (LIS) on the Krishna and the Jettethanda LIS on the Musi in Huzurnagar constituency, the minister said the former government had accepted in writing a division of 599 tmc ft of Krishna water to Andhra Pradesh and only 299 tmc ft to Telangana out of the 811 tmc ft allocated to both states. The present Congress administration, he added, has placed fresh arguments before the Krishna River Management Board, seeking an allocation based on catchment area, area under irrigation and population.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also criticised the BRS for shelving the ₹38,000-crore Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahitha-Chevella Project and instead launching the ₹1-lakh-crore Kaleshwaram LIS “for commissions.” He noted that pillars of Kaleshwaram’s Medigadda barrage collapsed within three years and claimed that ₹62,000 crore could have been saved had the earlier project been completed. Those funds, he said, could have finished schemes such as SLBC, Dindi, Palamuru-Ranga Reddy, Bheema, Nettampadu, Koilsagar, Devadula, Sitarama Sagar and Gowravelly. The state is now paying ₹16,000 crore a year in interest on loans raised by the BRS, he added.

According to the minister, the former government spent ₹27,000 crore on the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy project and ₹10,000 crore on the Sitarama LIS without creating a single new acre of area under irrigation.

The Congress government, he said, is strengthening the irrigation department by filling vacancies and accelerating works. Telangana produced 281 lakh tonnes of paddy across the last kharif and rabi seasons, “the highest in the country,” he noted. In the past nine days alone, ₹9,000 crore has been credited to farmers’ accounts under Rythu Bharosa.

Uttam Kumar Reddy expressed dissatisfaction with the pace of construction at Jawahar Janpahad, which he has inspected thrice, and demanded strict quality control.

Project details

•  Jawahar Janpahad LIS (₹302 crore)
•  Target: Irrigation for 10,000 acres in 10 villages, including Alingapuram and Palakeedu. 
• Status: Slow; the minister instructed the contractor to expedite pipeline and pump-house works simultaneously.
•  Jettethanda LIS (₹33.83 crore)
•  Target: Irrigation for 2,041 acres cultivated by tribal farmers.
•  Check Dams on the Musi
•  Budget: ₹10.5 crore for selected locations to improve water retention.