Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday assured compensation and support to residents of Marlapadu, Keshya Tanda, and Nakkalagandi—villages submerged due to the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project in Nagarkurnool district.
Speaking at Mannevari Palli, Revanth Reddy reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completing the 40-kilometre-long SLBC tunnel project, describing it as the world’s largest of its kind. The Chief Minister said the ₹4,600-crore project aims to lift 30 TMC of Krishna river water to irrigate 3 lakh acres. He also announced grievance redressal measures for the displaced families.
Revanth blames BRS for SLBC delays, cost escalation
Revanth Reddy sharply criticised the previous BRS government, accusing it of deliberately stalling the project for political reasons. He said the tunnel works, initiated in 2004 by the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy government at a cost of ₹1,968 crore, were obstructed after K. Chandrashekar Rao took office in 2014.
“The project could have been completed at ₹2,000 crore. Now, due to BRS negligence, the cost has risen to ₹4,500 crore,” he said. He further alleged that the KCR-led government failed to initiate a single Krishna river project in a decade while spending ₹1.86 lakh crore on contractors, including ₹1.05 lakh crore on Kaleshwaram alone.
Congress plans fast-tracked execution using Army support
Revanth Reddy said Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy is working to expedite the SLBC project by coordinating with Army officials to ensure trouble-free tunnel excavation. He noted that eight workers had died during the earlier phase, and their families had received government support.
“The public voted out BRS for failing on SLBC. We have taken up the project on a war footing. They won’t forgive us either if we don’t finish it,” he said.
The Chief Minister also lashed out at former minister T. Harish Rao for signing an agreement limiting Telangana’s Krishna water share to 299 TMC. He said the current Congress government is actively contesting the matter before the tribunal and warned Harish Rao against making what he called “cheap comments” on water issues.
శ్రీశైలం ఎడమ గట్టు కాలువ (#SLBC) టన్నెల్ పనులను ఎట్టి పరిస్థితుల్లోనూ పూర్తి చేయాలని ప్రభుత్వం దృఢ సంకల్పంతో ఉందని ముఖ్యమంత్రి శ్రీ @revanth_anumula గారు పునరుద్ఘాటించారు. ఎన్ని అడ్డంకులొచ్చినా తొలగించుకుంటూ ఈ ప్రాజెక్టును పూర్తి చేస్తామని స్పష్టం చేశారు.
❇️ఎస్ఎల్బీసీ టన్నెల్… pic.twitter.com/kUi3qZmhVF
— Telangana CMO (@TelanganaCMO) November 3, 2025