Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy launched a scathing attack on the previous BRS government, accusing it of abandoning the prestigious Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme midway and misusing public funds by focusing primarily on pumps and lift infrastructure to generate commissions rather than completing the project.
Addressing a press conference during his tour of irrigation projects in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district on Thursday, the Chief Minister asserted that the Congress government was committed to completing the long-pending project within the next two years. He also appealed to local residents to cooperate with the government in expediting land acquisition for pending irrigation works.
Revanth Reddy alleged that the BRS government spent nearly ₹1.81 lakh crore on irrigation projects over a decade, including around ₹1 lakh crore on the Kaleshwaram project, while neglecting the Palamuru-Rangareddy scheme. He claimed that although ₹27,000 crore had been spent on the project, much of the expenditure went towards pumps and lifts, with not a single acre receiving irrigation water.
“The project has the potential to supply 90 TMC of water. Had it been completed along with Jurala, Bhima, Nettempadu, Koilsagar and Kalwakurthy projects, irrigation could have been provided to nearly 26 lakh acres in the region,” he said.
The Chief Minister further accused the previous government of failing to complete land acquisition and prioritising contractor payments over project execution. He stated that the BRS regime borrowed ₹84,503 crore for irrigation projects during its ten-year rule, while the Congress government had cleared debts worth ₹52,120 crore in just 30 months.
According to Revanth Reddy, the present government spent only ₹22,000 crore on contractor bills during the period and allocated ₹8,000 crore specifically for the Palamuru project. Around 4,000 acres of land still need to be acquired for the project, he added.
Ridiculing BRS leaders’ claims that 90 per cent of the project work had been completed, the Chief Minister questioned how such progress was possible when less than half of the estimated project cost had been spent.
Taking a swipe at BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao’s proposed padayatra, Revanth Reddy remarked that the march should continue all the way to Kashi as an act of penance for the “sins” committed during the BRS government’s decade-long rule. He maintained that his government would complete the Palamuru project on a war footing and ensure justice to the people of the region.