HYDERABAD, January 31: BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha strongly criticised the Telangana government over its handling of water resources at a roundtable discussion titled “Neellu – Nijaalu” (Water and Facts), organised by Telangana Jagruthi. She accused the Congress-led government of engaging in political manoeuvring instead of addressing real issues.
Kavitha alleged that the Revanth Reddy government was using water-related matters for political gains and urged it to focus on completing the pending works of major irrigation projects initiated by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR). She claimed that the Medigadda Barrage of the Kaleshwaram project remained resilient despite heavy Godavari floods, countering Congress’s criticisms.
She emphasised that successive governments have carried forward key welfare schemes, citing how KCR continued YSR’s Arogyasri programme and how BJP continued Congress’s Employment Guarantee Scheme. Similarly, she argued that Revanth Reddy should continue KCR’s irrigation projects instead of abandoning them. She accused him of acting like a “misguided missile,” ignoring the real threats to Telangana’s water interests.
Kavitha also demanded the removal of Adityanath Das, an Andhra Pradesh-cadre official, from key water management roles in Telangana. She urged the state government to present a strong case in the Krishna Tribunal to protect Telangana’s share of water.
Highlighting KCR’s efforts, Kavitha stated that over 1 crore acres of land received irrigation water due to projects built during the BRS rule. She credited the construction of major irrigation projects to the dedication of engineers and experts, asserting that Telangana’s comprehensive development relied on water resources.
Comparing past and present achievements, she pointed out that during the combined Andhra Pradesh era, only 50 lakh acres received irrigation in 60 years, whereas Telangana, in just 10 years, surpassed 1 crore acres. She praised the Kaleshwaram project as one of the world’s most advanced irrigation systems, facilitating water supply to 1.24 crore acres. She also noted that Mission Kakatiya revived thousands of tanks, conserving 9.6 TMC of water.
Addressing criticism from Congress leaders, Kavitha stated that despite significant progress, they falsely claimed that “nothing happened” in the past decade. She accused previous Congress and TDP governments of neglecting irrigation projects while focusing on political gains.
She also condemned the Congress and BJP for opposing Telangana’s water interests, citing the deployment of central forces at Nagarjuna Sagar and legal cases against irrigation projects. She alleged that Andhra Pradesh governments, led by Jagan Mohan Reddy and Chandrababu Naidu, continued the tradition of diverting Telangana’s water through projects like Rayalaseema and Banakacharla.
Kavitha concluded by criticising the Congress government for failing to supply water from the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project, despite its grand inauguration. She warned that neglecting Telangana’s water resources would severely impact farmers and urged the government to prioritise irrigation over political rivalries.
