Uttam Kumar Reddy reaffirms 90 TMC allocation for Palamuru-Rangareddy project
Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday said the Congress government would complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy project with its original allocation of 90 TMC.
During an informal interaction with the media, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government strictly followed the Government Order issued on August 18, 2022. He noted that the order was issued during the previous BRS regime.
He said the order proposed 90 TMC of water. This included 45 TMC from savings in minor irrigation schemes and 45 TMC from Telangana’s share due to Godavari diversions by Andhra Pradesh.
Rejecting allegations of deviation, the Minister said the Congress government had not changed the project design or water allocation. He added that the BRS itself sought 90 TMC in its submissions to the Centre.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the previous government stalled works on key links such as Narlapur to Edula. He also said it failed to begin distributary and ayacut canal works, despite the project’s large irrigation potential.
Palamuru-Rangareddy project costs and execution contrasted
The Minister said the project could irrigate over 12.3 lakh acres across drought-prone districts. These included Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Narayanpet, and parts of Nalgonda and Khammam.
He said the BRS neglected other irrigation projects as well. These included the Srisailam Left Bank Canal, Kalwakurthy, Koilsagar, Nettempadu, Bheema, and Dindi schemes.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said SLBC required an additional Rs 2,000 crore for completion. He added that the Kalwakurthy project needed only Rs 900 crore more.
Criticising spending priorities, he said the BRS spent over Rs 1 lakh crore on the Kaleshwaram project. In contrast, he said only Rs 27,000 crore went to the Palamuru-Rangareddy project over ten years.
The Minister said the project began with an estimate of Rs 35,000 crore. Later, the BRS raised it to Rs 55,000 crore while submitting the DPR after seven years.
He said the estimate excluded land acquisition for 30,000 acres. It also left out ayacut canal works and rehabilitation costs, pushing the total beyond Rs 70,000 crore.
Despite spending Rs 27,000 crore, he said the BRS did not supply water to a single acre. By comparison, he said the Congress government spent Rs 7,000 crore in two years.
He said officials installed 11 pumps during this period. They also completed major earthwork, concrete work, and laid nine kilometres of pressure mains.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the previous government failed to secure hydrology, environmental, and CWC clearances. He alleged that public hearings were delayed and engineers were told to slow works.
He said the BRS accepted limits on Krishna water use in Apex Council and Supreme Court proceedings. “The BRS took ten years and failed to complete the project. We will finish it,” he said.