Congress Govt Will Not Allow Banakacharla Project: Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy

Warangal, October 11: Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday said the Congress government would not permit the construction of the Banakacharla project under any circumstances, declaring that the project is being opposed through all possible means, including direct communication and written objections to the Centre.

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Speaking to the media in Hanamkonda after offering condolences to senior Congress leader and MLA Donthi Madhava Reddy on the demise of his mother, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government was committed to protecting Telangana’s rightful share in Krishna and Godavari river waters.

He stated that the Congress government had already conveyed Telangana’s objections to the Banakacharla project in writing to Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil. “Telangana, Maharashtra and other co-basin states have clearly opposed it. Yet Harish Rao is speaking as if the Telangana government is silent. His claims are completely false,” he said.

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The Minister asserted that Telangana would also not support the proposed raising of the Almatti dam height. “It does not matter which party is in power in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra. For us, Telangana’s water rights are paramount,” he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised former Minister T. Harish Rao for spreading misinformation. “Not one word spoken by Harish Rao is true. The injustice to Telangana in Krishna and Godavari waters happened during the ten years of BRS rule, not during our 21-month Congress government,” he said.

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He alleged that former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and then Irrigation Minister Harish Rao had agreed to give Andhra Pradesh 512 TMC of Krishna water while settling for just 299 TMC for Telangana out of the 811 TMC allocated to united Andhra Pradesh. “This agreement was made in writing and presented to the Centre. The loss occurred under BRS,” he said.

He emphasised that after the Congress came to power, Telangana made it clear that the previous allocations were unacceptable. “We demanded 70% share for Telangana and presented strong arguments before the Tribunal. I am the only Irrigation Minister in the country to appear personally before the tribunal in such a water dispute,” he said.

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Elaborating on the state’s arguments, he said Telangana demanded 70% of 811 TMC at 75% dependability and 734 TMC out of 1,005 TMC at 65% dependability. “We argued both in writing and in person, and we are confident that justice will be done,” he said.

On Godavari waters, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the BRS government had completely failed. “The only project they built in ten years – Kaleshwaram – has collapsed. Medigadda barrage is damaged. Cracks have developed in Sundilla and Annaram barrages. In the past 21 months, not a single drop of water was lifted from them,” he said.

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He pointed out that despite these failures, Telangana achieved record paddy production. “Without a drop of water from these barrages, we produced 148.5 lakh metric tonnes of paddy this season — the highest in the country. Out of this, the Congress government will procure 80 lakh metric tonnes. No other state has achieved this,” he said.

He said the BRS had not even started work at Tummidihatti, despite making promises for ten years. “They didn’t lift even a handful of soil. Now, we have started the Chevella–Pranahita project from Tummidihatti and will complete it,” he said.

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Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government had secured 67 TMC water allocation for the Sitarama project and was working with the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government to get 47 TMC for the Sammakka–Sarakka barrage. “We are making all efforts to obtain the required clearances. This is proof that Telangana will benefit more under the Congress government,” he said.

He also spoke about the government’s plans to complete all pending projects in the former Warangal district, including the Devadula project. He praised the public support for the Warangal airport project, which he said would take the city to the next level.

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Uttam Kumar Reddy strongly criticised Harish Rao for attempting to defame the Congress government and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. “This habit of speaking lies and creating confusion must stop. Telangana people are observing everything. We have both the sincerity and capability to protect Telangana’s water rights,” he said. (Maxim News)

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