Hyderabad: Terming BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao’s assertion that the previous government led by him had stabilised 30 to 40 lakh acres of ayacut through Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) as a ‘blatant lie’, irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that on the contrary, only 1,35,000 acres per year ayacut was stabilised.
Countering the claims made by Chandrasekhar Rao during a marathon four-hour interview with a Telugu news channel on Tuesday on irrigation, paddy procurement, and power projects, Uttam gave a power point presentation in Hyderabad on Wednesday, April 24.
Citing a report by an expert committee of retired engineers that had suggested against drawing Godavari water from Medigadda, calling it unviable, Uttam said that the State government has been spending Rs 10,000 crore per year on electricity to lift water from Medigadda, whereas it would have cost around Rs 1,000 crore had the project been constructed at Thummidihatti.
He said that though Medigadda barrage was damaged on October 21, 2023. It took almost six months for Rao to speak on the issue, that too in a TV interview. On Rao’s accusation that Congress released all the Godavari water from Medigadda after the damage, just to blame him, Uttam countered by saying the water was released by the previous government itself, as per the suggestion of NDSA.
“Because of unnecessary interference, corruption, greed for commission, and lack of knowledge of KCR the Medigadda incident happened and the farmers’ crops went dry,” Uttam alleged, adding that though the CWC (central water commission) had approved Rs 80,000 crore for KLIS, today the cost has gone up to Rs 1.5 lakh crore, with 10 per cent interest burden of the loans falling on the people of Telangana.
Uttam said that the State government was going to receive the interim report of the national dam safety authority in a week or so, and only based on their expert opinion a decision the state government will go forward on KLIS.
Handing over projects to KRMB
On Chandrasekhar Rao’s allegation that Congress handed over the projects to KRMB, Uttam called it another blatant lie and recalled that it was the Congress that tried to stop the handing over of the projects when BRS wanted to do it and that it was the Congress government which has passed a resolution in the assembly against the handing over of projects and sent it to the Centre.
“On December 1, 2023, when KCR was the chief minister, the then irrigation secretary Smitha Sabarwal had issued a gazette handing over the control of Srisailam and Nagarjunsagar projects,” he said.
Pending projects in erstwhile Nalgonda district
Submitting that out of 113 tmcft water which could be utilised through various projects in the region, only 76 tmcft has been the average utilisation. Through the ongoing projects, he said that 13.5 lakh acres could be irrigated in the region.
Uttam promised that the State government will ensure the completion of projects like Dindi lift irrigation scheme, SLBC tunnel, Udayasamudram, and Brahmana Vellemla lift irrigation projects in the present term itself.
Krishna water sharing and utilisation
Pointing out that Chandrasekhar Rao had made a major blunder by agreeing to let AP get 512 tmcft of water out of the total 811 tmcft under the Krishna basin, Uttam said that a case has been filed by the State government in the KWDT II (Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal) on this issue on March 20, 2024, seeking 75 per cent (555 tmcft) as Telangana’s share in the Krishna waters.
Reminding that the AP government has been drawing 1.09 tmcft through Mutchummari lift irrigation scheme every day, and 8 tmcft per day could be drawn through Rayalaseema lift irrigation scheme, Uttam said that when the Apex Council’s meeting was scheduled on August 5, 2020, Chandrasekhar Rao and the chief secretary had written to the Centre a week before the meeting, requesting the Centre to postpone the meeting.
Uttam alleged that this was done to let the tender process for Rayalaseema scheme be completed, indirectly helping chief minister of AP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Claiming that inf act AP has drawn more water illegally from the Krishna basin after the formation of Telangana than before, Uttam gave official data which showed that the water drawing capacity of AP which was 4.1 tmcft per day in the undivided AP, has now increased to 9.6 tmcft per day presently.
Pointing out that 1,14,500 cusecs of water were being let out from Srisailam project every day to AP, Uttam stated that while 727 tmcft went ‘out of basin’ from Srisailam between 2004 and 2014, 1,201.54 tmcft Krishna water went out of basin from 2014 to 2024.
“That’s the greatness of the glaring conspiracy of KCR,” Uttam underlined, also opining that, had the BRS government completed the construction of the Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme by 2019, our Krishna water allotments would have been better.
NSP tail pond issue
On the claim of Chandrasekhar Rao that AP has taken away 4 tmcft water meant for Telangana’s drinking water needs from Nagarjunsagar tail pond, Uttam said that the State government has written to KRMB on this violation within an hour, and got it adjusted in 5.5 tmcft drinking water which was allowed to be drawn by AP.
“We have made enough water available for NSP tail pond for Mission Bhagiratha,” he assured.
Paddy procurement
Comparing the current paddy procurement scenario with the same day last year, Uttam said that while 1,320 PPCs (paddy procurement centres) were operational out of 7,031 PPCs opened last year, this year, 7,111 PPCs were opened out of the total 7,200 PPCs planned to be opened for Rabi marketing season. While the BRS government could procure 1.98 lakh tonnes of paddy by this day last year, 9.44 lakh tonnes have been procured till now in the present marketing season.
Power projects
Claiming that the highest electricity consumption in Telangana was happening now, Uttam said that during ten years of BRS rule, only Bhadradri thermal power project was completed, and that too was constructed using outdated and sub-critical technology, which would shoot the cost of production and coal usage high.
Politics and predictions
“BRS is at the final stage of collapse. They are just trying to survive by making false claims,” Uttam said, predicting that BRS will not get its deposits in 8 to 12 Lok sabha seats and that it will score a zero in the general elections. He also felt that BRS’ existence was doubtful after the elections and that nobody will be left in that party.
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