Hyderabad

Former Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government was attempting to cover up its failure to lift irrigation water from Kannepalli through misinformation and false propaganda against the Kaleshwaram project.

In response to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s comments in the Khammam meeting, he pointed out that the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages withstood floods of nearly 28 lakh cusecs in the past, and questioned why the government was now attempting to create fear when the present flood flow was only about one lakh cusecs.

He demanded that the government immediately utilise the existing Kannepalli pump house to lift water through Annaram and Sundilla into Yellampalli reservoir instead of allowing valuable Godavari water to flow downstream. He accused the Congress government of deliberately allowing Telangana’s Godavari waters to flow into Andhra Pradesh.

Raising concerns over Yellampalli reservoir, Mr. Harish Rao pointed out that against its total storage capacity of 20.18 TMC, only 5.48 TMC of water remained, with storage levels approaching dead storage.

He warned that Yellampalli supplies water for irrigation, drinking water, Mission Bhagiratha, industries, thermal power generation, NTPC operations and Hyderabad’s drinking water requirements.

Mr. Harish Rao said, “Breaking promises and switching parties may be your political culture, Revanth Reddy! But, certainly not mine. Your 20-year political career and my 25-year political journey speak for themselves,” he said.

Questioning the Chief Minister over the farm loan waiver promise made in the name of Lord Sri Rama in Bhadrachalam, he asked whether even farmers in Khammam district had received complete loan waiver benefits.

He also questioned why the Chief Minister continued to display anger and political aggression in every public meeting despite repeatedly claiming that politics could wait until the final year of the government’s term.