Tension At Kannepalli As BRS Protests Water Delay

WARANGAL: Tension prevailed at the Kannepalli pump house of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district on Monday, as senior BRS leaders and a large number of party workers staged a protest under the banner of ‘Chalo Kannepalli,’ demanding that the government restart the motors and release water for the ongoing Kharif season.

The protest was led by former minister Koppula Eshwar, former MP B. Vinod Kumar, and former MLAs Putta Madhukar, Rasamayee Balakishan, and Chander Patel. The leaders tried to enter the pump house to switch on the motors themselves but were stopped at the gate by police personnel already deployed at the site.

This led to heated arguments and a brief scuffle between the police and BRS workers. As the situation escalated, additional police forces were called in, and the protesting leaders were taken into custody and shifted to nearby police stations.

Earlier, the BRS leaders inspected the Godavari floodwaters near the pump house's approach canal and raised slogans against the government. They alleged that despite severe rainfall deficiency and the drying up of many tanks and ponds, the government was deliberately withholding irrigation water by not activating the motors.

The leaders staged a sit-in protest in front of the pump house and warned that if the motors were not switched on immediately, they would do it themselves. When they later tried to forcibly enter the pump house, police intervened and brought the situation under control by arresting the leaders.