Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday launched a blistering critique of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government, holding it squarely responsible for the collapse of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. He accused the former regime of prioritising political jealousy and commissions over sound engineering and public welfare, resulting in what he termed “permanent damage” to the state’s irrigation system and financial stability.
Speaking at a press meet in Huzurnagar after reviewing development initiatives in the Huzurnagar and Kodad constituencies, Uttam Kumar Reddy lambasted the BRS for abandoning the Congress-conceived Dr BR Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi project. He said the original plan, centred at Tummidihatti and estimated at ₹38,000 crore, was shelved purely to deny credit to the Congress.
“Had they stuck to Tummidihatti, none of this would have happened,” he said, referring to the subsequent collapse of the Kaleshwaram project. “Instead, they shifted the project to Medigadda, lured by the opportunity to inflate costs and pocket commissions. This wasn’t governance – it was greed in the guise of development.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that while the Congress’s original irrigation proposal had a price tag of ₹38,000 crore, the cost of the Kaleshwaram project inexplicably surged to ₹1.2 lakh crore under the BRS. “This isn’t just poor planning – it’s a textbook case of institutional corruption. They scrapped a feasible project, approved by experts, and replaced it with one that was technically flawed from the outset.”
He said the financial implications were dire. The inflated costs not only drained public resources but diverted funds from other critical irrigation schemes. “With the ₹62,000 crore squandered, we could have completed multiple pending projects – Palamuru-Rangareddy, Koilsagar, Bhima, Nettempadu, Kalwakurthy, SLBC, Dindi, Devadula, Gouravelli, and Sitarama. Telangana would have been agriculturally robust and self-sufficient by now.”
He warned that the repercussions of BRS’s decisions would outlast their political tenure. “We’re now repaying ₹16,000 crore annually, including interest. These are generational liabilities – our children and grandchildren will continue paying for their recklessness,” he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also took aim at BRS’s reaction to the findings of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), which flagged severe structural flaws in the Kaleshwaram barrages. He dismissed BRS leaders’ claims that the damage was the result of sabotage, including outlandish suggestions that bombs had been planted. “If bombs were involved, why didn’t they investigate or act when they were in power? Suddenly, 16 months after losing power, they recall a conspiracy theory – it’s absurd and insulting to public intelligence.”
He revealed that engineers, experts, and construction agencies had repeatedly raised red flags about the design and construction quality of the Kaleshwaram barrages. “But the BRS regime turned a blind eye. They ignored every warning, chose commissions over competence, and this collapse is the natural result.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy also criticised the BRS for systematically erasing the names of Congress-era projects and national leaders. “Why rename Rajiv Sagar as Sitarama? Why strip Chevella-Pranahita of its association with Dr B.R. Ambedkar? This speaks volumes about their pettiness and contempt for national icons,” he said.
He reiterated that the judicial inquiry led by former Supreme Court judge Justice P.C. Ghose into the Kaleshwaram fiasco was being conducted independently and transparently. “The commission is above political influence. The government will act strictly on its findings, and those responsible will be held accountable in accordance with public will.”
Praising the Congress government’s early performance, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted a series of reforms in the irrigation sector, including the appointment of over 2,900 technical personnel and targeted investments in long-pending projects. He said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s recent review at Jala Soudha marked the beginning of a comprehensive overhaul.
Despite the inherited debacle of Kaleshwaram, Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed to a record year in paddy procurement under Congress, citing it as proof of effective governance. “For the first time, even fine rice farmers received bonuses. This is the fruit of well-planned irrigation reform, and we’re only just beginning.”
He accused the former BRS leadership of relying on optics over substance. “They flew over project sites in helicopters, issued orders from mid-air, and ignored realities on the ground. That’s why Kaleshwaram stands today as a monument to misgovernance and misplaced ambition. Now, they owe the people of Telangana answers.”
