Hyderabad: Former minister G. Jagadish Reddy on Monday demanded immediate Kaleswaram water release, alleging that the Telangana government was deliberately refusing to operate the Kannepalli pump house despite sufficient capacity to store water.
Addressing a press conference along with former minister Gangula Kamalakar and former MP B. Vinod Kumar, Jagadish Reddy claimed that starting the pumps would make it possible to store 150 TMC of water.
Jagadish Reddy alleged that the government was misleading farmers and acting stubbornly on the issue. Moreover, he challenged the government to hand over responsibility for operating the project to former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for one week.
He claimed KCR could successfully operate the pumps and demonstrate the project’s capability. Furthermore, he said the BRS would accept responsibility if any mishap occurred during the exercise.
Jagadish Reddy also alleged that the National Dam Safety Authority had no connection with the issue. He further claimed that if the government’s argument was accepted, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy should also face accountability over the SLBC project.
Kaleswaram water release row escalates
The former minister claimed engineers had informed the BRS that authorities had not operated the motors for nearly a year. Additionally, he alleged that Uttam Kumar Reddy lacked a proper understanding of the project. He also accused Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu of supporting the Chief Minister’s stand out of political compulsion.
Jagadish Reddy said BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao had recently demonstrated that the Kannepalli project was ready to protect Telangana’s irrigation needs.
He alleged that ministers had failed to respond to the issue with genuine concern for Telangana. According to him, the government had not established corruption in the Kaleswaram project, and the courts had rejected the commission appointed to examine the matter.
Moreover, he described the Kaleswaram project as essential for meeting the state’s irrigation needs. He claimed the project was designed to utilise Pranahita waters during drought conditions.
Finally, Jagadish Reddy alleged that the government was avoiding pump operations because of concerns over electricity costs, crop procurement and bonus payments. He said the people of Telangana would judge the government’s actions at the appropriate time.