Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has sharply criticised the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), questioning their resistance to a judicial probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP). “If they truly believe it’s a landmark engineering achievement, why shy away from scrutiny?” he asked.
Addressing media at the Telangana Secretariat on Friday, Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao for attempting to discredit the judicial commission investigating KLIP. He was joined by Panchayat Raj Minister D. Seethakka and Ramagundam MLA Makkan Singh Raj Thakur.
“The commission is a legal, independent body formed to investigate potential irregularities. If the BRS has nothing to hide, why are they refusing to cooperate?” he asked, adding that their recent media offensives are attempts to distract from legitimate scrutiny. He likened BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao’s media strategy to that of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.
Uttam Kumar Reddy underscored that even leaders like Indira Gandhi had appeared before commissions and dismissed the idea that the probe was politically motivated. He warned that attacking a judicial process could invite legal consequences.
Responding to BRS allegations of sabotage at the Medigadda barrage, Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that the FIR in the case was filed when BRS was in power. “Why raise conspiracy theories now?” he said, challenging them to present any such evidence to the commission instead of resorting to public theatrics.
He accused the previous regime of shifting the project from its original site at Tummidihatti to Medigadda for financial gain. “This change inflated the cost from ₹38,000 crore to ₹1.2 lakh crore with no increase in irrigated area,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said, highlighting findings from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), which identified serious technical and procedural flaws.
He further stated that multiple independent assessments found fundamental defects in design, location, and construction, claiming that not a single test yielded positive results.
Uttam Kumar Reddy argued that funds spent on Kaleshwaram could have completed a suite of other irrigation projects, including the Pranahita-Chevella and Palamuru-Ranga Reddy schemes. “With better planning, nearly ₹62,000 crore could have been saved and directed towards other long-pending initiatives,” he added.
He reiterated that the current government has only initiated a fact-finding process, not punitive action. However, he warned that continued non-cooperation or attempts to delegitimise the commission would not go unanswered.
Dismissing allegations of vendetta, he insisted that the Congress government was only responding to the facts and holding the previous regime accountable. “This is not politics; it’s about public money and public trust,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
He concluded by challenging BRS leaders to face the commission and justify their decisions, stating that the Congress government is exploring salvage options for KLIP despite structural shortcomings.
