Hyderabad: Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Tuesday rejected BRS claims that 90 percent of the Palamuru-Rangareddy project had been completed during the previous government’s tenure.
He criticised BRS leaders for announcing a padayatra from Narlapur to Uddandapur demanding completion of irrigation projects in the former Mahabubnagar district.
Addressing a press conference at the CLP media centre in the Assembly, Krishna Rao said former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao had promised in 2015 to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy project within two years.
However, he said the project remained unfinished even after a decade. He added that although â‚ą35,000 crore had been earmarked for pumps, motors and surge pools, only â‚ą25,000 crore had been spent.
The Minister also alleged that the previous BRS government failed to obtain approvals for the main canals and distribution systems under the Palamuru-Rangareddy project.
He estimated that around â‚ą1 lakh crore would be needed to complete the project.
Palamuru-Rangareddy project delays highlighted
Krishna Rao said the BRS government had failed to secure allocation of 90 TMC water for the Palamuru-Rangareddy project.
He asserted that the Congress government would ensure allocation of the required water. He also accused the previous government of compromising Telangana’s share in Krishna River waters.
According to him, former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao had signed agreements stating that 299 TMC water was sufficient for Telangana.
He said the Congress government was now demanding a 62 percent share of Krishna River waters for Telangana.
Sports Minister Vakiti Srihari said the previous BRS government made tall promises on the Palamuru-Rangareddy project but failed to deliver.
He claimed that only 18 out of 21 project packages were taken up, while three packages were neglected.
Srihari also said less than half of the proposed budget had been utilised. He added that people in Palamuru had lost faith in BRS leaders.
Government Whip Yennem Srinivas Reddy and MLAs Dr. Vamsi Krishna, Kasireddy Narayana Reddy, Dr. Rajesh Reddy, G. Madhusudan Reddy, Megha Reddy and Veerapalli Shankar attended the press conference.