Hyderabad: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that all the ration card holders will receive fine grain rice through the public distribution system starting April, and that the state government was contemplating distributing certain essential commodities like salt, pulses, sugar and other essential commodities through fair price stores soon.
Speaking in the assembly and giving clarifications on the questions raised by the MLAs during the budget session on Wednesday, March 26, he stated that nearly 84% of Telangana population will be benefited by the initiative.
He said that the first priority will be given to additional members of a family who have applied for new ration cards, and that the rest of them will also be issued ration cards through an effort, which he described as a continuous process.
“We are not here to make excuses. We are here to deliver results — clean ration, clean systems, and a clean conscience,” he said.
On Kaleshwaram project
Stating that major lapses in the design and construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIS) have been officially confirmed by the Vigilance and National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) preliminary reports, he said that based on the report of the judicial commission constituted to probe the issue, which he said was expected to be out in a week or so, decision would be taken.
Citing the findings, the minister said the foundation technology used for the three barrages was flawed, with a clear mismatch between the detailed project report (DPR) and actual implementation.
“The DPR mentioned sheet pile technology, but secant pile was used. NDSA experts have expressed in their report, that they fear the barrages may collapse and even submerge nearby villages and towns like Bhadrachalam,” he warned.
Reddy accused the previous BRS regime of pushing the state into a man-made irrigation disaster.
He slammed the shift of the source of drawing water for KLIS from Tummadihatti to Medigadda, saying it was done without the approval from experts, leading to a cost escalation of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
“The Central Water Commission never recommended it. A five-member committee of chief engineers had opposed it, but their views were ignored,” he said.
Calling the previous government’s irrigation borrowing strategy reckless, he said Telangana was now burdened with Rs 16,000 crore in debt repayments annually on short-term and high-interest loans.
On Krishna river water sharing, he said that since 2014, BRS government had signed annual agreements allowing Andhra Pradesh to draw 511 TMC of water, while agreeing to only 299 TMC as Telangana’s share.
“After Congress government came to power, we reopened the case before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal,” he said.
He blamed the BRS regime for enabling Andhra Pradesh to build infrastructure to illegally divert water through projects like Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS), Malyala, and Pothireddypadu, severely affecting Telangana’s own irrigation schemes like Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu, and Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation schemes.
Despite the financial stress, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the state government has prioritised irrigation projects that could be completed quickly with the available funds.
“We’ve completed the installation of the third pump house at the Devadula Project on a war-footing, and the pumping will begin tonight,” he announced.
He said other pending projects including the Chanaka-Korata, PPR, Komuram Bheem, and Jagannadham were being taken up on top priority, and that works for reservoirs in Ryalampadu, Kotapally, and Lakshmidevipally would be sanctioned soon.
“To prevent further water losses, the state government has begun installing telemetry equipment to monitor the river water usage between the two Telugu states, which Andhra Pradesh has failed to do despite setting up infrastructure for diverting the water.
“We gave funds to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) to begin telemetry. It’s finally happening under our government,” he said.
The minister reiterated that Telangana will focus on low-cost and pending irrigation projects which could irrigate more lands under their ayacut.
He added that the Yasangi crop losses across all notified ayacut areas will be compensated, and that the farmers will not be left helpless.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Vivek Bhoomi | 
