Harish Rao criticised Uttam Kumar Reddy over Kaleshwaram project

Hyderabad: In a scathing reply to Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, former minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao criticised the State government over the mishandling of the Kaleshwaram project. He held the Congress government and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) responsible for delaying repair works on the Medigadda barrage for political purposes. He urged the former minister to put aside political criticism and focus on resuming the operation of the Kaleshwaram project. In a statement, Harish Rao ridiculed Uttam Kumar Reddy for complaining about the cost and annual electricity bills for operating the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme. He listed several projects initiated during the previous Congress government in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, such as Pranahita-Chevella and Kalwakurthi, all of which are lift irrigation schemes that require heavy electricity for water supply. He warned that without the Kaleshwaram project, Telangana may once again face severe drought, farmer suicides and migration issues. The former irrigation minister pointed out that the floods in the Godavari river in 2022 and 2023 have caused significant structural damage to the Medigadda barrage and submerged three pillars. He criticised Uttam Kumar Reddy for making contradictory statements about initiating measures to strengthen the foundation of the Medigadda barrage and not even conducting soil testing due to the floods. He criticised the NDSA for its inadequate response and not making timely recommendations. He said while the NDSA initially delayed its report without visiting the project site, the Congress government in the state further delayed it without taking timely action. He pointed out that about four months of valuable time was wasted for political purposes instead of carrying out repair work. “The state government did not allow the irrigation department engineers to take any measures before submitting the NDSA report. Now the work is being further delayed citing the floods. The Congress government should take full responsibility for any damage caused to the barrage due to its negligence,” said Harish Rao, urging Uttam Kumar Reddy to ensure that the NDSA provides a comprehensive report on permanent safety measures for the barrage.

Harish Rao also opposed Uttam Kumar Reddy proposing a new project at Thummidihatti, saying that previous Congress governments failed to get the necessary approvals for the proposed project, especially from Maharashtra, which is facing the problem of submergence. He said the project would require an expensive lift system even today. He advised the irrigation minister to consult the Maharashtra government before starting any work related to Thummidihatti, otherwise it would be an unnecessary burden on the state exchequer. He said the proposal was shelved keeping in mind several issues, including submergence, Chaparral Reserve Forest in Maharashtra and technical challenges. He ridiculed the argument that water could be supplied from Thummidihatti to the Yellampalli project using gravity, calling it a “fair use” on the minister’s understanding. Harish Rao reiterated that the restructuring efforts have improved the water storage capacity of the reservoirs without compromising on pumping water from Yellampalli. He stressed that both Pranahita-Chevella and Kaleshwaram are multi-stage lift irrigation schemes with similar power costs. The senior BRS leader emphasised the achievements of the BRS government in getting funds and approvals for the Kaleshwaram project, while criticising the delays and mismanagement of the current administration. He said the previous BRS government spent Rs 94,000 crore for the Kaleshwaram project and succeeded in stabilising about 17 lakh acres of ayacut under the Sri Ram Sagar and Nizam Sagar projects as well as various check dams and irrigation tanks, besides providing new ayacut of 98,000 acres. He said the Kaleshwaram project pumped about 162 TMC of water from Medigadda, 172 TMC from Annaram, 177 TMC from Sundilla, 184 TMC from Nandimedaram Pump House, 180 TMC from Gayathri Pump House, 50 TMC from Mid Manair, 46 TMC from Annapurna, 41 TMC from Ranganayak Sagar and 18 TMC from Mallanna Sagar to Kondapochamma Sagar.