Palamuru-Rangareddy project neglected for political reasons: Niranjan Reddy

HYDERABAD: Former Telangana Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy launched a sharp attack on the Congress government, accusing it of deliberately sidelining the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Project despite over 90% of the work being completed.

In a detailed statement, he criticised Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy’s visit to Palamuru as a mere formality and questioned the government’s two-year timeline for completion instead of fast-tracking the remaining works.

He said it was ironic that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, who hails from Palamuru, had shown no urgency in completing a project vital to the region’s farmers. “Isn’t it a betrayal of your own land?” he asked.

Niranjan Reddy pointed out that under the BRS government, key components—such as four pump houses, tunnels, surge pools, and sub-stations—were completed, and even wet runs were conducted at Narlapur and dry runs elsewhere.

He alleged political bias in scrapping gravity-based irrigation tenders for Narayanpet and Kodangal and instead shifting focus to launching lift schemes from Jurala, which he called a wasteful diversion.

The former minister also raised questions about the Dindi Lift Scheme, which the Congress government is reportedly pursuing at a cost of ₹1,800 crore. “The same objective can be achieved by drawing water from Vattam reservoir through gravity for just ₹80–100 crore,” he said, demanding the formation of an expert committee to evaluate the decision.

Reddy further expressed concern over Telangana’s potential agreement to finalise the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal’s orders in the upcoming May 7 meeting. He warned that conceding to the proposed water-sharing terms could allow Karnataka to raise the Almatti dam height and reserve 160 TMC of water, endangering Telangana’s access and rendering Jurala dry.

He demanded that Telangana fight for its rightful share of Krishna waters and not accept any proposal that undermines the state’s interests.
“₹32,000 crore has already been spent on Palamuru-Rangareddy. The minister has acknowledged 90% work is done. The remaining work must be completed immediately to ensure the region benefits,” he asserted.

Niranjan Reddy accused the government of failing farmers by not providing irrigation, not procuring harvested crops, and falling short on loan waivers. “Even Congress MLAs admit that not even half of the promised waivers have been fulfilled,” he said.