Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Monday, March 3, slammed Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy for allegedly stalling the SLBC tunnel project in Nagarkurnool.
“It is unfair for the CM to criticise the BRS as he has not taken the project any further. The BRS had completed 12 km of the SLBC tunnel during its tenure,” the former Telangana minister said. He further alleged that Reddy is at fault for taking up the development work without any planning.
He further said that while the total length of the tunnel is 43.94 kilometers, only 22.89 kilometers were dug during the previous Congress government’s tenure from 2005-2014. The Sircilla MLA claimed that the BRS completed 12 killometers of the SLBC tunnel without any accident despite several challenges.
“While the then Congress government spent Rs 3300 crore on SLBC work, the chief minister has gone to great lengths to hide the fact that works worth Rs 3900 crore were completed during the BRS regime,” he added.
He claimed that the BRS spent Rs 300 crore more than the previous Congress government. Drawing a comparision between Kaleshwarm and SLBC, KTR took to X and said, “Although 203 kilometers of tunnels were dug in three and a half years as part of the Kaleshwaram project, there is no record of a horrific incident like SLBC.”
He alleged that the Congress is focusing on projects to please the high command in Delhi and not for the benefit of famers in Telangana.
KTR concluded by saying that the Telangana CM has no other choice but to admit the mistake he has made. “These “damage diversion” conspiracies will never work on the vibrant soil of Telangana,” he remarked.
The BRS working president’s remarks following the SLBC tunnel collapse in Nagarkurnool. Eight workers were trapped in the tunnel when it caved in on February 22.
Revanth Reddy visits SLBC tunnel in Nagarkurnool
Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy visited the SLBC Tunnel in Nagarkunool on Sunday, March 2 and said that the location of eight persons trapped inside the partially collapsed tunnel of the SLBC project is not known yet exactly and that the government is making efforts to expedite the rescue operation.
Reddy, who spoke to reporters after visiting the accident site in Nagarkurnool district, said the rescue operation would gain speed after the damaged conveyor belt is repaired.
The conveyor belt which would help in carrying silt is expected to be restored by Monday. “They (rescue personnel) are not able to come to a full understanding on where the humans and the machinery got stuck. They have a preliminary estimation but not fully,” he said.
He said the government suggested officials leading the rescue operation to use robots inside the tunnel, if necessary, to avoid any danger to the rescue personnel.
The government is determined to resolve the issue and is also ready to support the families who suffered due to the accident, he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Mohammed Baleegh | 
