Somireddy Accuses YSRC of Betraying Rayalaseema on Irrigation

Nellore: Senior TD leader and Sarapalli MLA Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy criticised former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, alleging that he had betrayed the interests of Rayalaseema, particularly in the irrigation sector. Addressing a gathering at the Kandaleru Reservoir on Tuesday, Somireddy presented what he said were facts and official records to support his allegations.

Referring to the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project, Somireddy alleged that the YSRC government had converted major irrigation works into a source of benefit for select contractors. He claimed that during the five-year YSRC regime, 102 Rayalaseema irrigation projects were pre-closed, causing severe damage to the region.

Citing expenditure figures, he said the TD government between 2014 and 2019 spent Rs 12,441 crore on Rayalaseema irrigation projects, while the YSRC government spent only Rs 2,011 crore. He recalled that YSRC leaders had ridiculed the Pattiseema project, which later enabled the diversion of Godavari waters to the Krishna Delta and helped release 120 TMC of Srisailam water to Rayalaseema.

Somireddy stated that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu spent Rs 6,163 crore on Rayalaseema projects and completed the Handri–Neeva water supply to Kuppam, 780 km away, within 100 days at a cost of Rs 3,870 crore. He further alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy failed to even visit the site after the Annamayya dam collapse, which he blamed on illegal sand mining.

He also accused the YSRC government of ignoring the NGT stay on the Rayalaseema Lift Project for four years without filing a counter-affidavit. Somireddy asserted that nearly 80 per cent of Rayalaseema irrigation works, including the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator, were built during the tenures of N.T. Rama Rao and N. Chandrababu Naidu, whom he described as the true benefactors of the region.

Several TD, BJP and Jana Sena leaders, including MLC Beeda Ravichandra Yadav, were present.