Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy blames BRS for irrigation failures

HYDERABAD: Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy has accused the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of mismanaging the state’s irrigation sector, alleging financial and structural failures that have left Telangana struggling to secure its water rights. He claimed that the previous BRS government prioritized personal gains over public welfare, leading to inefficiencies in major irrigation projects.

Speaking at a press conference at Jala Soudha on Thursday, alongside Ministers Komatireddy Venkatreddy and Ponnam Prabhakar, Uttam Kumar Reddy dismissed BRS leaders’ criticism of the Congress government as a cover-up for their own failures.

Kaleshwaram Project and Financial Burden

He accused the BRS government of borrowing over Rs 1 lakh crore for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, which he described as plagued by faulty design, poor construction, and zero maintenance. He pointed out that the Medigadda Barrage, a key component of the project, collapsed under the BRS government’s watch.

Despite spending Rs 1.81 lakh crore on irrigation projects, the previous government failed to expand ayacut significantly. Key projects, such as the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Sitarama Lift Irrigation Projects, which received Rs 27,000 crore and Rs 9,000 crore respectively, failed to irrigate even a single acre of land. Long-pending projects like Devadula, Kalwakurthy, Nettampadu, Bhima, Koyal Sagar, SLBC, and Dindi remained incomplete.

“The BRS government built projects not for farmers but to fill their pockets,” Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged, adding that financial mismanagement placed a heavy debt burden on Telangana.

Water Rights and Krishna River Dispute

The minister emphasized that the Congress government is actively working to secure Telangana’s water rights. He highlighted the ongoing efforts to:

• Expedite the allocation of 67 TMC of Godavari water for the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project.
• Negotiate with Chhattisgarh for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the Sammaka Sarakka Project (44 TMC).
• Contest the unfair Krishna River water allocation, which currently gives 299 TMC to Telangana and 512 TMC to Andhra Pradesh.

He criticized the BRS government’s handling of Krishna water disputes, revealing that under KCR’s leadership, Telangana suffered an unjust allocation despite having a legitimate claim based on catchment areas, drought-prone regions, and cultivable land.

Andhra Pradesh’s Water Diversion and BRS’s Inaction

Reading from Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) meeting minutes, Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the BRS government of agreeing to hand over key projects to KRMB and even allocating Rs 200 crore for their maintenance in the 2023-24 budget. “Unlike BRS, our government will never surrender our projects,” he asserted.

He also accused the BRS government of allowing Andhra Pradesh to push forward the controversial Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (RLIS). He alleged that:

• The RLIS project was approved days after a secret agreement between KCR and then-AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy.
• Telangana lost 7 TMC of naturally flowing Krishna water, while AP was allowed to withdraw 8 TMC per day from Srisailam.
• AP’s Go No. 203 (May 5, 2020) authorized the withdrawal of 8 TMC per day, worsening Telangana’s water crisis.

KRMB data revealed that AP consistently used over 64% of Krishna water from 2014-15 to 2020-21, while Telangana received less than 36%. In 2014-15, AP used 529.33 TMC, while Telangana received only 227.74 TMC (30.08%). By 2020-21, AP’s share increased to 629.07 TMC, while Telangana got just 248.23 TMC.

Despite these violations, the BRS government failed to take strong legal or political action, allowing Andhra Pradesh to finalize RLIS tenders unchallenged.

Nagarjuna Sagar Dispute and Telangana’s Response

Uttam Kumar Reddy also highlighted a significant incident on November 29, 2023, when Andhra Pradesh police forcibly took control of the right side of the Nagarjuna Sagar Project Dam. AP personnel allegedly released 5,000 cusecs of water without KRMB approval, violating Telangana’s rights.

“The BRS government did nothing. They allowed AP to act with impunity while our farmers suffered,” he said, citing the impact on irrigation projects in Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda, and Rangareddy and Hyderabad’s drinking water supply.

At the 2nd All India State Water Ministers’ Conference in Udaipur, Uttam Kumar Reddy raised these issues and urged the Centre to intervene. Union Minister CR Patil and Secretary Debashree Mukherjee reportedly assured action.

Congress Government’s Plans

To prevent further water mismanagement, the Congress government has requested the Centre to install telemetry instruments at 35 locations in Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam Dams to track AP’s withdrawals. If the Centre refuses funding, the state plans to install them independently.

He also accused the BRS government of financial mismanagement, relying on short-term, high-interest loans instead of long-tenure, low-cost loans, pushing Telangana into financial distress. “After Congress came to power, we worked to reduce interest rates from 10% to 7%,” he stated.

The minister assured that key projects like the SLBC Tunnel will be completed under the Congress regime and reiterated that the government is actively working to regain control of Nagarjuna Sagar components from Andhra Pradesh.

“Our government is working tirelessly to rectify the damage done by the BRS government. Telangana’s rightful water share will not be compromised under our leadership,” he said.