Eatala Rajender accuses Telangana government of delaying Kaleshwaram repairs

Hyderabad: BJP MP Eatala Rajender accused the Telangana government of delaying Kaleshwaram repairs and failing to operate irrigation pumps despite water flowing into reservoirs from upstream states. He said the delay was causing hardship to farmers during the ongoing crop season.

Addressing the media in Hyderabad, Eatala said Telangana always placed water, funds and self-respect at the centre of its movement. Meanwhile, he said farmers were struggling because irrigation water had not reached their fields.

He said agriculture under the SRSP canals could not depend entirely on borewells and open wells. Further, Eatala recalled that farmers appreciated him when SRSP water reached Huzurabad during his tenure as MLA. He added that they would have criticised him if the water had not reached neighbouring Warangal.

Kaleshwaram repairs delay draws criticism

Eatala said many people had forgotten the state’s irrigation history. He noted that the Congress government had launched the Jalayagnam programme before the Kaleshwaram project. The BJP MP said the earlier plan aimed to bring Pranahita waters through Tummidihatti.

Eatala also recalled that the foundation stone for the Sripada Yellampalli Project was laid after he became an MLA. Additionally, work on the Mid Manair Dam also began during that period, he said. According to the BJP MP, the Congress first proposed linking irrigation projects up to Chevella.

According to Eatala, the government that came to power after Telangana’s formation expanded the irrigation network by linking Medigadda, Annaram, Sundilla and Yellampalli. He claimed that 29 TMC of water brought through those projects now remained in the Mid Manair Project.

The BJP MP said Kaleshwaram transformed irrigation in Huzurabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and parts of Nalgonda by enabling two crop seasons. However, he clarified that he was not commenting on allegations related to commissions, contracts or design changes in the project.

Finally, Eatala said Congress leaders were wrong to claim that constructing the Kaleshwaram project itself had been a mistake. He questioned why the government had delayed Kaleshwaram repairs despite the possibility of a severe drought.