- The political dispute over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme has escalated in Telangana
- BRS leader KTR visited Kannepally pump house despite police restrictions, reviving irrigation debate
- Congress claims water scarcity is due to past BRS decisions, defends current irrigation policy
The political battle over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme has intensified, with the ruling Congress and the opposition BRS locked in a bitter exchange over irrigation policy, project management and alleged corruption.
The latest round began with BRS working president KT Rama Rao's (KTR) July 5 visit to the Kannepally pump house. Despite police attempts to restrict the visit, KTR reached the site with party workers, a move that the BRS portrayed as a political victory and used to revive the irrigation debate.
"Instead of preparing for a drought and protecting agriculture, the government is allowing precious water to go waste while farmers suffer." He said and claimed that 26 of Telangana's 33 districts were already facing drought-like conditions and urged the government to immediately operate the Kannepally pumps.
The Congress government countered swiftly. Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy held a review meeting with officials, while Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, during a presentation on irrigation projects at Praja Bhavan on July 7, defended that water cannot be lifted without adequate inflows and blamed the present difficulties on decisions taken during the previous BRS regime. He challenged former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) to a special joint session of the Assembly and Council on Kaleshwaram.
The Congress has alleged that the redesign of the original Pranahita-Chevella project into Kaleshwaram led to inflated costs and substandard construction, resulting in damage to the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages.
The BRS has denied wrongdoing, claiming that the government is using corruption allegations to divert attention from its own failure to operate the project and provide water to farmers.
Former irrigation minister T Harish Rao also held a separate presentation on July 8 rebutting the government's claims and has challenged the Congress to hand over the irrigation department to him for a limited period to demonstrate the project's viability.
With both sides hardening their positions and a likely showdown in the upcoming monsoon session of the Telangana Assembly and Legislative Council, Kaleshwaram has once again emerged as the defining political issue in Telangana.
