Congress Govt Fixes Krishna Water Injustice, Fast-Tracks Irrigation Projects Across Telangana: Uttam Kumar Reddy

Miryalguda, May 4: Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said that the Congress government had taken historic steps to correct decades of injustice in Krishna river water allocation and had fast-tracked key irrigation works across the state, especially in South Telangana.

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Addressing a detailed review meeting in Miryalguda, he said that due to persistent efforts by the Congress government, the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II headed by Justice Brijesh Kumar had reopened the issue of 811 TMC water allocation between basin states.

He termed this a significant achievement and a clear contrast to the silence of the previous BRS government, which allowed Andhra Pradesh to increase the capacity of the Pothireddypadu head regulator and launch the Rayalaseema Lift Scheme without any protest. Uttam said that the Congress government was now installing telemetry instruments across all Krishna basin projects to ensure real-time monitoring and transparency in water usage.

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He accused the previous KCR government of grossly ignoring the irrigation needs of Southern Telangana by focusing solely on the Kaleshwaram project, which ultimately failed due to poor design and massive corruption.

He pointed out that while ₹94,000 crore was spent on Kaleshwaram, the same amount could have completed major projects like Devadula, SLBC, Dindi, Palamuru-Rangareddy, Sitarama Sagar, Uday Samudram, and other schemes that remained pending for years. He said that despite spending ₹1.81 lakh crore on irrigation during the BRS regime, no substantial ayacut was created.

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Projects like Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Koilsagar and Bhima remained incomplete, and Devadula and Sitarama Sagar had zero new ayacut despite huge spending. In contrast, he said, the Congress government was focusing on delivering maximum irrigation benefit with minimum expenditure in minimum time.

Uttam said the Congress government had allocated ₹23,000 crore for irrigation in the 2024–25 budget and taken steps to strengthen the department with the recruitment of 1100 engineers and 1800 Laskars on an outsourcing basis.

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He said repair and desiltation of old reservoirs such as Nagarjuna Sagar and SRSP had begun after decades of neglect. He said that sedimentation had reduced the capacity of major reservoirs by 25 to 30 percent and it was the Congress government that took up de-sedimentation and restoration works.

Reviewing specific works in Miryalguda constituency, he gave detailed updates on several lift irrigation schemes. The Keshavapuram Lift Irrigation Scheme covering 3,032 acres had reached 60 to 70 percent completion and motors had already been ordered with the project expected to be operational by June.

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The Dumma Pothulagandi-Chamala Tanda scheme was designed to benefit 12,239 acres and had now progressed to groundwork and silt removal. The Bothalapalem-Wadapally lift scheme, meant for 8,610 acres, was about 10 percent complete and targeted for completion by mid-2025.

The Perlapalem scheme would irrigate 2,500 acres and the Toppicherla scheme another 316 acres, both of which had recently commenced. He also reviewed the Wachathanda lift scheme from the Musi river in Damaracherla mandal to benefit 1,119 acres with an estimated cost of ₹32 crore, and said this had already received government financial approval.

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Additional new projects included Bhimanagadda-Ayinagadda lift scheme using Musi river water for 4,000 acres in Ravulapenta, Amangal and Cheemalapadu. The Agamo-Motkur-Chinnagudem scheme in Miryalguda covering 5,000 acres had an estimate of ₹20.6 crore and was ready for execution.

He also mentioned new check dam proposals across Palair stream at Ravulapenta (₹9.82 crore, 600 acres), at Tungapadu in Shantinagar (₹10 crore, 560 acres), and in Dubbathonda (₹7.85 crore, 500 acres). A new Kaluvattu was proposed at Pandiripally Cheruvu (₹1 crore) to benefit Yajagiripalli farmers, and another at Appalamma Cheruvu (₹1.4 crore) to help Miryalguda Housing Board area.

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Uttam Kumar Reddy took serious note of a major 23-km damage stretch in the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal between 50 and 73 km, which had forced water levels to be lowered and hurt crop irrigation in the region.

He directed officials to immediately start repairs and complete them during the current working season. He expressed strong dissatisfaction over slow progress in lift irrigation works and warned that payment delays to the electricity department had caused stagnation.

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He pointed out that ₹10.9 crore was pending towards the electricity department, which was holding back TS TRANSCO from beginning power-related works on lift schemes. He instructed officials to immediately clear the dues and ordered all three district collectors to expedite land acquisition for these projects. He said unless these issues are resolved quickly, the ground-level progress will remain stalled and farmers will continue to suffer.

On civil supplies, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted Telangana’s record-breaking performance in paddy production. He said that in the Vaanakalam season, 153.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy were cultivated across 66.7 lakh acres, while the ongoing Yasangi crop covered 55 lakh acres, yielding another 127 lakh metric tonnes.

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He said Telangana had thus produced a total of 280 LMT paddy in one agricultural year – a historic achievement not only in the state’s history but also in the entire country. He said this was made possible due to timely procurement, proper bonuses, and farmer-friendly policies introduced by the Congress government. Every grain of Vaanakalam paddy was purchased at MSP and fine varieties were given an additional bonus of ₹500 per quintal. He directed officials to ensure that even in the Yasangi season, every last grain is procured and every farmer receives his dues.

He also spoke in detail about the Congress government’s flagship ration scheme under which 80 to 84 per cent of the population – around 3.10 crore people – are being given 6 kg of premium quality rice per person, free of cost. He said this was the first time in Indian history that such a large section of people were provided quality food grain completely free.

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He criticised the previous government for supplying poor quality coarse rice which went mostly to poultry farms and beer companies instead of serving the poor. He said the BRS government spent ₹10,665 crore every year to supply 24 lakh metric tonnes of unusable rice that most people refused to eat. In contrast, the Congress government was now spending ₹13,000 crore to provide actual food security to every deserving family.

Uttam Kumar Reddy invited all MLAs, MLCs, MPs and officials to submit suggestions, criticisms and recommendations to improve the functioning of the irrigation and civil supplies departments. He thanked local MLA Bathula Laxma Reddy, District Collector Ila Tripathi, Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja, and senior engineers for participating in the review. He said the goal of the Congress government was to ensure that every project in undivided Nalgonda is completed and every farmer receives the benefits of assured irrigation and food security in a time-bound manner. (Maxim News)

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