BRS claims on Palamuru-Rangareddy Project misleading, says Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday strongly criticised the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) for spreading what he called “false narratives” about the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project. He delivered the remarks during a detailed PowerPoint presentation on Krishna and Godavari basin issues at Praja Bhavan. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, PCC chief Mahesh Kumar, MPs, and MLAs were present.

Congress spent ₹7,000 crore after taking office, says Uttam

Uttam responded to recent statements by BRS chief K. Chandrashekar Rao, who claimed his government had completed 90% of the project and that the Congress administration had neglected it. Dismissing these assertions, Uttam accused both KCR and former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao of misrepresenting facts.

He questioned how a project requiring ₹80,000 crore could be considered “90% complete” with only ₹27,000 crore spent. “How does ₹27,000 crore equal 90% of an ₹80,000 crore project?” he asked, challenging the BRS’s claims directly.

Uttam also pointed out that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was sent to the Central Water Commission only in September 2022—seven years after the government issued the GO in 2015. The report mentioned an outlay of just ₹55,000 crore and excluded vital costs, including land acquisition for ayacut zones and complete infrastructure development.

He further alleged that despite the ₹27,000 crore expenditure, the BRS government failed to provide water to even a single acre of farmland. In contrast, the Congress government had already spent ₹7,000 crore since assuming power, reaffirming its commitment to completing the project.