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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Telangana raising unnecessary hue and cry over Banakacherla project, says Naidu
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stated that the objective of the Bankacherla project was to utilise the Godavari river water that was going waste into the sea and there was no reason for Telangana to raise a hue and cry about it. This was because Telangana was also using the Godavari flood water, he said, while pointing out that all the projects being constructed on the river except the Polavaram have no requisite clearances. Reacting to the concerns raised by the Telangana government on the Godavari-Banakacherla project, at a press conference held by him on the preparations for the International Yoga Day event, at the Secretariat on Thursday, Mr. Naidu said a dispute between the two States was undesirable and noted that he never created a ruckus about the pending bilateral issues. He said as the lower riparian State, Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) sought to transfer the Godavari water from one basin to another through the Banakacherla project, and the Polavaram project was sanctioned in compliance with the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014. 'When A.P. and Telangana had a dispute over the Krishna barrage, I took the initiative to amicably settle it by talking to the then Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan. I will not do things that will jeopardise the interests of the people of the Telugu-speaking States,' he asserted. Status quo Referring to the utilisation of the Krishna river water, Mr. Naidu stressed the need to maintain a status quo on the allocations previously made by the Krishna Waters Disputes Tribunal, till a new tribunal apportioned the river waters afresh. He said he never objected to the Kaleshwaram project in Telangana and that if Telangana wanted legal sanctity to the utilisation of flood waters flowing into the sea, the two States ought to discuss the matter with the Centre. 'Why should the Telugu States fight over waters being used by both of them?' Mr. Naidu asked, suggesting that Telangana was free to utilise waters flowing waste into the sea. It was he who initiated projects like Devadula and Kalwakurthy in the unified State of A.P., he recalled.
New Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Eatala lied about KLIS, project never got Cabinet nod: Thummala
HYDERABAD: Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao on Saturday dropped a political bombshell, accusing BJP MP Eatala Rajender of lying before the Justice PC Ghose Commission over the approval process for the Kaleshwaram project. He stated that the project was never approved by the state Cabinet during the BRS regime and was instead taken up through an executive order. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Nageswara Rao called Rajender's deposition before the Kaleshwaram commission on Friday a 'bundle of lies.' 'The Cabinet never approved the construction of the Kaleshwaram project. Only the revised estimates came up for discussion, three years after construction had already begun. The decision to build Kaleshwaram was not collective. Let him show even one document that proves the Cabinet sanctioned it,' the minister asserted. Both served as ministers in the first BRS government. Nageswara Rao also challenged the BJP MP to prove his claim that a Cabinet sub-committee, comprising Harish, Nageswara Rao and Rajender, gave the green signal for the project. The minister said he would submit all relevant documents to the Ghose panel, which is probing alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. 'No sub-panel formed for Kaleshwaram proj' Nageswara Rao clarified that the sub-committee mentioned by Rajender was not constituted for the Kaleshwaram project at all. 'It was formed 15 days after the Medigadda project was sanctioned, only to study ongoing irrigation schemes like Devadula, Kanthanapally, Pranahita and Flood Flow Canal,' he explained. 'The committee met only two or three times and submitted project-specific reports. At no point did we recommend the construction of Kaleshwaram or its barrages,' Nageswara Rao added.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Those responsible for failure of Kaleshwaram Barrages can't escape punishment: Minister Uttam Reddy
HYDERABAD If any government in the State had harmed the interests of farmers and people, including in the irrigation sector, it was that of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) during the 2014-23 period, Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged here on Friday. The Minister also condemned the remarks of BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, who blamed the Congress for the damage suffered by the Medigadda Barrage of the Kaleshwaram project and reasoned that it could be out of fear to appear before the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission of Inquiry into the irregularities in the project. 'They are shivering with the instance of just getting notices from the inquiry Commission. In case they had not committed anything wrong, why are they hesitating to depose before the judicial panel?', he said, adding that if at all they had any suspicion of bombs for the barrage damage, they could as well tell it before the Commission. Besides, it was BRS that was in power when the damage had taken place, and they could have revealed the conspiracy. They were shamelessly trying to cover up their mistakes, and the correspondence between the irrigation department and the work agency L&T shows that the barrage had problems from the beginning. He explained that the Congress government had instituted a judicial probe to find the facts and take action as per law. The CAG, NDSA and Vigilance had all faulted the lapses in every stage of their execution, he noted. Referring to the Pranahita-Chevella project taken up by the previous Congress in 2007, he said it was planned with ₹38,000 crore and ₹10,000 crore was spent on canals. Only one lift could have brought water from Tummidihatti Barrage to Yellampally reservoir with 100 km of gravity flow. The network thereafter was included in the Pranahita Chevella project itself and the same was executed as part of Kaleshwaram. Of the ₹1 lakh crore spent so far on Kaleshwaram, ₹62,000 crore could have been saved and it could have been used for completing Palamuru-Rangareddy, Devadula, SLBC, Dindi, Sita Rama, Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Koilsagar, Bhima and others. He reminded that the CAG report had termed Kaleshwaram as a 'white elephant' for Telangana. The Minister reiterated that those responsible cannot escape punishment as their mistakes had cost the State ₹21,000 crore spent on the Link-I of the Kaleshwaram project, which comprises three barrages and their pump houses to carry water to Yellampalli.
United News of India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Our Govt is committed to completing irrigation projects: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy
Hyderabad, May 14 (UNI) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday affirmed that the Congress government is committed to completing pending irrigation projects and ensuring transparency in their execution. He was speaking after distributing appointment letters to newly recruited Assistant Engineers (AEs) and Junior Technical Officers (JTOs) in the Irrigation Department at a function held at Jalasoudha on Wednesday evening. Congratulating the recruits, the Chief Minister said, 'You are not just employees — you are part of an emotional movement that birthed Telangana. The statehood struggle was rooted in our collective aspiration for water, and you are now its representatives.' Highlighting past failures, CM Revanth Reddy criticised previous governments for incomplete and substandard projects despite spending over Rs 2 lakh crore. 'Even after ten years of Telangana's formation, major projects remain unfinished. People should question where that money went,' he said. Referring to the much-touted Kaleshwaram Project, the Chief Minister labelled it a 'monumental failure,' stating, 'Built at a cost of lakhs of crores, Kaleshwaram failed to irrigate even 50,000 acres and suffered structural collapse within three years. It stands as a global example of how not to build irrigation infrastructure.' He alleged that basic engineering protocols, such as soil testing at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla, were ignored. 'When engineers act on the instructions of politicians with limited technical knowledge, disasters like this happen,' he warned, urging the newly appointed engineers to uphold professional integrity. Revanth Reddy emphasised the Congress government's commitment to strengthening the irrigation sector. 'In just 15 months, we have filled 1,161 posts in the Irrigation Department. This shows our intent,' he said, pledging fast-tracked completion of key projects such as ESLBC, Sitarama, Devadula, Nettempadu, and Sammakka-Sarakka. He also addressed the delay in Group-I recruitment, alleging political interference from previous regimes. 'We are aware of those who tried to block the Group-I process. Rest assured, we will complete these appointments soon,' he said. The Chief Minister reiterated that water remains the most significant sentiment in Telangana and vowed to restore public trust through the efficient and corruption-free execution of all irrigation projects. UNI VV SSP
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Govt. committed to completion of pending irrigation projects, says Chief Minister
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has asserted that his government is committed to completing the pending irrigation projects in Telangana and steps are being taken in this direction. The government has, accordingly, prioritised SLBC, Sitarama, Devadula, Nettempadu, Sammakka-Sarakka and other projects for speedy completion. 'The government is working with commitment to complete the pending irrigation projects to harness the irrigation potential in the interests of the people,' he said. The Chief Minister was speaking after distributing appointment letters to newly appointed assistant executive engineers and other officers of the Irrigation department on Wednesday. He described the job in the Irrigation department as an 'emotion' not merely employment and said political parties gained benefits using the emotion. He recalled how the government had recruited personnel for 1,161 posts in the department since it took over the reins and said equitable share in water was one of the main objectives behind the separate statehood movement. Mr. Revanth Reddy wondered why the irrigation projects remained pending despite spending ₹ 2 lakh crore since the formation of Telangana in 2014. 'Why are the projects incomplete 10 years after the State formation? Who have benefitted from the amounts released?' he questioned, exhorting intellectuals and employees to review the developments over the past decade of the BRS rule. The Chief Minister recalled how the Congress, under former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, prioritised irrigation and constructed major projects which were not disturbed by calamities. But the Kaleshwaram project which was conceived and completed by the previous government collapsed in three years. 'The Kaleshwaram project which involved investment of ₹1 lakh crore did not provide irrigation to at least 50,000 acres. It is the only project in the world which collapsed within three years of its construction,' he said. The project was a lesson on how not to construct a project that would entail severe losses. This could be seen from the fact that the previous government had not conducted soil testing before taking up construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. 'This is because of an individual who claims to have read 80,000 books and turned himself into an engineer,' he said. There should be clear demarcation of duties in every field. 'Engineers should discharge their duties and politicians theirs. Engineers should work with discretion as they will be at loss if they listen to advices of politicians with limited knowledge,' he said, expressing concern over the safety of projects taken up during the previous government because of the lopsided policies. Mr. Revanth Reddy said people knew whose negligence resulted in the SLBC project remaining incomplete over the last decade and said the government should take adequate care in the construction of projects. Referring to the Group-I appointments, he said he was aware of the political leaders who were creating obstacles in the recruitment process. The government was, however, committed to overcome the hurdles and complete the recruitment process soon.
