Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader T. Harish Rao on Friday issued a Harish Rao challenge to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, asking him to hand over the state’s irrigation department within three months if the government failed to operate the Kannepalli pumps, fill reservoirs and supply water to farmers.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao defended the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and rejected the Chief Minister’s criticism of the project. He accused the Congress government of spreading misinformation and described its handling of irrigation as “criminal negligence.”
Harish Rao alleged that the government failed to operate heavy-duty motors despite adequate water availability in the Godavari River. Consequently, he claimed that Godavari water flowed into the sea while farmers continued to face irrigation shortages across Telangana.
He also said nearly one lakh cusecs of floodwater flowed through the Godavari at the Sammakka Barrage. However, the government lifted only 2,542 cusecs through the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme. According to him, the water level at Sammakka Barrage remained well above the minimum level required to operate the Devadula pumps.
Harish Rao challenge questions irrigation decisions
Furthermore, Harish Rao claimed that 75 to 80 per cent of tanks in the undivided Warangal district had dried up despite sufficient Godavari inflows. He also questioned the silence of Congress ministers and MLAs while farmers struggled to access irrigation water.
In addition, the former minister demanded a special Assembly discussion on the Sammakka Barrage and the state’s irrigation management. He rejected Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s claim that the Congress government had secured approvals for the Tummidihatti project.
Recalling his tenure as Irrigation Minister, Harish Rao said Maharashtra never approved the Tummidihatti project at a height of 152 metres despite repeated requests by the previous BRS government. Moreover, he challenged the Chief Minister to produce a single official letter confirming such approval.
Harish Rao said he would resign as an MLA if the Chief Minister produced documentary proof. Otherwise, he said, Revanth Reddy should apologise to the people of Telangana for making misleading claims.
He also defended the Kaleshwaram project, saying engineers designed it after detailed technical studies. Furthermore, he noted that the project was built in phases during the BRS government’s tenure.
Finally, Harish Rao alleged that the Congress government spent nearly 31 months in office without completing technical tests or beginning repair work at Medigadda. Instead, he claimed the government allowed valuable Godavari water to go unused while farmers continued to face irrigation shortages.
