Hyderabad: Labour and Mines Minister Dr G Vivek Venkataswamy accused the previous BRS government of deliberately weakening the Pranahita-Chevella project.
The minister alleged that the earlier government constructed the Kaleshwaram project mainly to earn commissions.
Vivek Venkataswamy visited the Tummidihatti project area along with Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Friday.
The ministers later performed Jalaharathi in the Pranahita river and addressed the media.
According to Vivek, the government had already spent nearly ₹1,100 crore on the Pranahita-Chevella project.
He stated that authorities had completed a major portion of the project works.
Pranahita-Chevella project revived under Congress government
The minister said the project could have been completed if the government had allocated another ₹25,000 crore.
Vivek recalled that former Union minister Kaka Venkataswamy strongly supported the project to address irrigation and drinking water needs in North Telangana.
He stated that former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy later laid the foundation stone for the project.
The minister said the Kiran Kumar Reddy government had agreed to fix the project height at 152 metres.
According to Vivek, only 5,000 acres in Maharashtra would have faced submergence at that height.
He said the compensation amount would have remained around ₹5,000 crore.
Vivek alleged that the BRS government later reduced the project height to 148 metres and weakened the Pranahita-Chevella project.
He further claimed that some contractors benefited heavily from the Kaleshwaram project.
The minister said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy was now taking steps to revive the Tummidihatti project.
He added that the revived project would provide irrigation water to nearly two lakh acres in North Telangana.
Vivek Venkataswamy also appealed to Telangana BJP leaders to seek Maharashtra’s approval for a 150-metre project height.
తెలంగాణలోని 16 లక్షల ఎకరాలకు సాగునీరు అందించేందుకు ఆనాటి కాంగ్రెస్ ప్రభుత్వంలో తుమ్మిడిహట్టి దగ్గర సీఎంగా వైఎస్ఆర్ గారు శంకుస్థాపన చేసిన ప్రాజెక్ట్ నీ పక్కనపెట్టి, కమీషన్ల కోసం కేసీఆర్ మేఘ కృష్ణ రెడ్డి తో కలిసి కాళేశ్వరం ప్రాజెక్టుని నిర్మించి దోచుకున్నారు. కానీ ఈ ప్రాజెక్టు… pic.twitter.com/xX6ZhMnOkH
— Dr Vivek Venkatswamy (@VivekVenkatswam) May 8, 2026