Hyderabad: BRS working president KTR on Saturday challenged Telangana govt to hand over the Kaleshwaram project to party chief K Chandrasekhar Rao for a week, claiming the former chief minister would prove the project’s capability by supplying irrigation and drinking water across the state.Addressing the media after visiting the Kannepalli pump house in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, KTR alleged that Telangana govt was deliberately refusing to utilise available Godavari water despite drought-like conditions prevailing in several districts. He claimed nearly 98,000 cusecs of water were flowing into the sea while farmers were struggling for irrigation.KTR added that water could be lifted from Kannepalli pump house without depending on the damaged Medigadda barrage to provide irrigation to seven districts and provide drinking water to Hyderabad.Defending the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, KTR said it had stabilised irrigation over 40 lakh acres and helped Telangana emerge as the country’s leading paddy producer. He maintained that only two piers at the Medigadda barrage had developed structural problems and alleged that Telangana govt had failed to carry out repairs despite L&T expressing willingness to undertake the work.Rejecting allegations of corruption, KTR questioned how a project built at a cost of around ₹94,000 crore could be described as a ₹1 lakh crore scam. He also accused Telangana govt of using the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report as an excuse to avoid restoring the project.Citing below-normal rainfall and El Niño conditions, KTR said Kannepalli had adequate water to mitigate drought and warned that Hyderabad could also face drinking water shortage if the pumps remained idle. He warned that the BRS would mobilise 50,000 farmers and lay siege to the Kannepalli pump house if Telangana govt fails to operate the pumps.
