Hyderabad: Accusing the Congress govt of indulging in diversion politics’ on water issues, former minister T Harish Rao challenged the irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy to explain claims that water could be brought by gravity from Thummidihatti to Yellampalli and demanded that the detailed project report (DPR) be made public.He said the previous BRS govt had initiated discussions with Maharashtra on Thummidihatti barrage, which was part of Pranahitha-Chevella irrigation project within 42 days of assuming office in 2014, the Congress govt now took nearly 1,054 days to convene its first high-level meeting on the issue.Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Harish Rao recalled that the former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao, along with ministers and technical experts had held several rounds of discussions with Maharashtra seeking approval for construction of Thummidihatti barrage at a height of 152 metres. If it is constructed at 152 metres height, Telangana would get 160 TMC water. The BRS govt had even offered them (Maharashtra) as much land and as much money as they wanted, but the neighbouring state did not agree, Harish Rao said.“The BRS govt officials held talks with Maharashtra on August 16, 2014, again on December 23, and February 4, 2015. On February 17, 2015, on his birthday KCR went to Maharashtra and held talks,” the BRS leader said. The project Pranahitha-Chevella was started in 2007 during Congress govt. What did you do between then and 2014? Congress was in power in three places and you still could not get 152 metres agreed. Seven years of delay then, three years of delay now, he asked.However, he said, that the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Centre had, through multiple communications in 2015, indicated that adequate water was not available at Tummidihetti to meet Telangana’s projected requirements.“Those assessments prompted the previous BRS govt to pursue the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project,” he said. Defending Kaleshwaram, he described it as a lifeline for Telangana and alleged that repairs to the Medigadda barrage had been deliberately delayed for political reasons.The former irrigation minister alleged that the Congress govt was neglecting lifting of water from other irrigation projects and demanded the state govt to release a white paper detailing the operation of the Devadula and Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Schemes, including the number of days they were run, the hours of operation, the number of motors used, and the quantity of water lifted.He alleged that despite sufficient water availability in reservoirs such as Srisailam, the Congress government had failed to lift and distribute water to farmers.Claiming that only two of the five pumps at the Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme were currently operational, Harish Rao said the govt was running them intermittently while simultaneously warning people about drought conditions. He questioned why Telangana was facing crop holiday concerns while neighbouring states were not experiencing similar situations.The BRS leader also accused the state govt of ignoring expert advice to operate pumps at Kannepally and alleged that retired engineers who advocated lifting water through the system were threatened instead of being heard.ends/
