Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) intensified its criticism of the Congress government over the Kaleshwaram project, accusing it of worsening irrigation and drinking water shortages by not operating the Kannepalli pump house despite substantial inflows into the Godavari River.
Former minister and Karimnagar MLA Gangula Kamalakar made the allegations at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday. He claimed that nearly nine TMCft of water was flowing downstream every day while crops in the Lower Manair and Mid Manair command areas were drying up.
He urged the government to immediately resume pumping operations. According to him, the government should set aside political considerations and act to protect standing crops.
Kaleshwaram project at centre of BRS criticism
Further, Gangula Kamalakar alleged that North Telangana was facing a severe water crisis. He questioned why State ministers had not visited Karimnagar to assess the situation. He also accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of misleading the public for political reasons.
Meanwhile, Huzurabad MLA Padi Kaushik Reddy said the issue had gone beyond politics. He alleged that farmers were suffering because the government was not using the existing infrastructure. He challenged the Chief Minister and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, saying all 28 BRS MLAs were prepared to take responsibility if pumping resumed. He added that they would quit politics if any structural problem developed at the Annaram or Sundilla barrages.
BRS Assembly Whip K.P. Vivekananda also criticised the government’s stand. He alleged that the administration was citing the National Dam Safety Authority report to avoid operating the pumps. According to him, project engineers had indicated that limited water lifting was technically feasible. He further warned that prevailing El Niño conditions could worsen water scarcity and eventually affect Hyderabad.