BRS damaged irrigation sector despite spending Rs 1.81 lakh crore, says Uttam
Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday alleged that the previous BRS government damaged Telangana’s irrigation sector despite spending nearly Rs 1.81 lakh crore on irrigation projects.
Addressing a press conference with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy after a two-day tour of irrigation projects in the Palamuru region, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government was speeding up pending projects and removing long-standing bottlenecks.
He said the tour aimed to prepare an action plan for completing major irrigation projects in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district.
BRS damaged irrigation sector through flawed decisions
Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the previous government made a major mistake by shifting the water source for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme from Jurala to Srisailam.
He said the decision harmed the interests of the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district. Moreover, it led to huge expenditure without creating assured irrigation benefits.
“The previous government claims to have spent nearly Rs 27,000 crore on the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, but not a single acre of irrigation potential was created. This is the reality behind their propaganda,” he said.
The Minister claimed several major irrigation projects remained incomplete during the BRS tenure.
He cited the Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Nettempadu, Bhima and Koilsagar projects as examples. In addition, he said progress on the SLBC tunnel project remained slow for years.
He also alleged that the Sitarama Project consumed nearly Rs 8,000 crore. However, he claimed it failed to deliver irrigation benefits on the expected scale.
Referring to Kaleshwaram, Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the previous government designed and executed the project. He added that structural failures occurred during the same government’s tenure.
“The irrigation sector was completely damaged by the previous regime. They spent nearly Rs 1.81 lakh crore of taxpayers’ money, including borrowed funds, but failed to deliver proportionate irrigation benefits. They have no moral right to lecture us on irrigation management today,” he said.
BRS damaged irrigation sector, Congress claims progress
The Minister said the Congress government was actively defending Telangana’s interests in Krishna river water disputes.
According to him, the State was presenting its case before the Krishna River Management Board, the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court.
He claimed Telangana utilised more Krishna river water after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023 than during the previous ten years.
According to the Minister, increased water utilisation expanded agricultural acreage. Furthermore, it boosted paddy production and procurement in Krishna-dependent districts.
He named Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and parts of Khammam among the beneficiaries.
Highlighting agricultural achievements, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana recorded its highest-ever paddy production and procurement under the Congress government.
He said Yasangi paddy procurement crossed 71.5 lakh metric tonnes this season. Consequently, he described the figure as a national record.
“Telangana has already been declared the number one rice-producing state in the country. Today, we are not only the number one producer but also the number one procurement state in India,” he said.
The Minister said Telangana accounted for nearly 60 per cent of India’s Yasangi paddy procurement.
Moreover, he expected the share to rise to around 75 per cent before the season ends.
He said the Centre agreed to procure only about 51 lakh metric tonnes of paddy.
Therefore, the State government is spending an additional Rs 6,600 crore to procure all paddy produced by farmers.
Furthermore, he claimed the Congress government spent an additional Rs 16,649 crore on Rabi procurement beyond central commitments since assuming office.