Delay in Pulichintala power cost Telangana Rs 1,000 crore: T Harish Rao

Hyderabad: Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao on Sunday accused the previous Congress regime of not taking up two hydroelectric and irrigation projects in the region which had resulted in a Rs 1,000-crore loss.

Speaking to mediapersons in the evening along with Medak MP K. Prabhakar Reddy and MLC M. Srinivasa Reddy, he said Rs 1,000 crore was the cost of the Congress governments not taking up work on the Pulichintala and Jurala hydroelectric projects which were sanctioned in 2006.

He said the faulty construction of the Jurala hydroelectric project had led to its submergence during floods. It cost the government Rs 250 crore to repair and restore the unit.

“Had these projects been constructed in time, there would not have been additional burden on the TRS government for purchasing the power at a higher cost,” Mr Harish Rao said.

“They cannot criticise us since we are doing an excellent job in both these sectors, but we can dig out their history on their inefficiency in completing the projects,” Mr Harish Rao said.

He asked what the Congress leaders were doing when the irrigation component was pushed in the Pulichintala project to benefit Coastal AP, and not the power component which was meant for TS.

Elsewhere, Mr Palla Rajeswara Reddy, Whip in the Council, said the only correct fact regarding the Pulichintala hydel project TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy’s statement was that it was conceived by the Congress in 2006.

The project was executed and completed by the TRS government within three years. He said till 2014 the Congress government could not started the works and the TRS government prepared and executed the detailed project report.