Hyderabad: BRS senior leader and former MP B Vinod Kumar on Tuesday said former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao alone made the Sammakka-Saralamma barrage possible. He dismissed Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s claim that the Congress government had secured approvals for the project as “ridiculous.”
Speaking at Telangana Bhavan, Vinod Kumar said the Congress was exaggerating a minor agreement with Chhattisgarh over 50 acres of submergence. “KCR overcame major hurdles to get clearances for major irrigation works. He never indulged in self-praise. What right does the Congress have to celebrate a minor achievement?” he asked.
Congress failed on Devadula, KCR fixed it: Vinod
Vinod Kumar slammed the previous Congress regime for spending over ₹15,000 crore on the Devadula project without achieving results. He said the intake well was faulty, and even 37 TMC of water couldn’t be added. “The system delivered water for only 110 days, far below the designed 170 days,” he said.
In contrast, he added, KCR corrected the technical flaws and built the Sammakka-Saralamma barrage with a 7 TMC capacity. But the Congress-led Chhattisgarh government blocked Central Water Commission (CWC) clearance, he said.
He also credited KCR with constructing ten reservoirs to store Devadula water. He urged the Congress government to complete pending reservoirs and fully realise the ayacut potential.
Tummidihatti and Medigadda concerns raised
Vinod Kumar cautioned Chief Minister Revanth Reddy against making compromises with Maharashtra on the Tummidihatti barrage. He said the government must not lower the proposed height below 152 metres.
On Medigadda, he said the barrage withstood this season’s heavy inflows. Though the pillars remained intact, he stressed that repairs must begin after October. He accused the Congress of spreading falsehoods about KCR instead of focusing on completing pending irrigation works.