Andhra Pradesh fields get water, while Telangana lets it flow into sea: KTR

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao accused the Congress government of allowing water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers to flow downstream and into the sea while crops in Telangana withered for want of irrigation. He said Andhra Pradesh was utilising available water to irrigate its fields, while Telangana was failing to harness its share.

“This is not a drought caused by nature, but one brought about by Revanth Reddy,” he said, blaming the Chief Minister’s negligence and failure to operate irrigation projects for the prevailing agrarian distress.

Addressing a meeting at Telangana Bhavan to welcome Congress and BJP cadre from Nirmal district into the BRS on Tuesday, Rama Rao said the Congress government had failed to utilise available water despite advance weather warnings. He said operating the pumps at the Kannepalli pump house of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme could have helped save crops in most districts.

The BRS working president said around 750 TMCft of Godavari river water and another 250 TMCft of Krishna river water had flowed into the sea. He argued that effective utilisation of the 1,000 TMCft could have enabled irrigation of one crore acres in Telangana. He accused Revanth Reddy of keeping the Kaleshwaram pumps switched off for political reasons.

“Revanth Reddy is reluctant to acknowledge the utility of a project built under former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and deny credit,” he added. He demanded that the government set aside political differences over Kaleshwaram and immediately operate irrigation pumps to protect standing crops.

Rama Rao faulted the government for failing to make full use of the Kaleshwaram and Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation schemes and take measures to store water in anticipation of drought conditions.

He said farmers were facing multiple problems, including delays in Rythu Bandhu payments, inadequate power supply, urea shortages and lack of irrigation water, under the Congress government. He said some farmers were bringing water in tankers to save their crops and even selling livestock to cope with mounting distress.

Contrasting the situation with the decade of BRS rule, the former Minister cited 24-hour free power, irrigation facilities and welfare schemes, accusing the Congress of failing to fulfil its election promises despite assurances that they would be implemented within 100 days. He accused the Chief Minister of prioritising visits to Delhi over farmers’ concerns, calling him a “renewal Chief Minister”.

Rama Rao asserted that former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s return to power was necessary to revive Telangana’s development and welfare programmes. He expressed confidence that farmers would teach the Congress a fitting lesson soon.

He questioned the BJP’s contribution to Nirmal despite its MLA and MP winning from the constituency, citing development initiatives undertaken during the previous BRS government, including a medical college, irrigation projects and Mission Bhagiratha. He also announced a public meeting in Nirmal on November 11 and called on party leaders and workers to strengthen the BRS in the constituency.