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Hans India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BRS leaders castigate Revanth for his comments against KCR
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders have vehemently criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for his recent remarks targeting former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. BRS leaders argued that out of the Rs 1 lakh crore Kaleshwaram project, only two pillars, valued at Rs 200 crore, sustained damage. During various press conferences, BRS leaders lashed out at the Chief Minister's comments concerning their party chief. MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy asserted that Revanth Reddy's statements on irrigation lacked understanding. 'Only two pillars worth Rs 200 crores in just one barrage collapsed in the Rs 1 lakh crore worth project,' stated Prashanth Reddy. 'If the government wishes, it can be rebuilt and water can be provided to the farmers, but you have more political gain from spreading bad news than love for the farmers.' Former Minister Gangula Kamalakar claimed that many areas of Telangana, once fertile due to Kaleshwaram, were now turning into deserts. He questioned the progress of water supply from Tummidihatti via gravity, asking, 'How far has it been completed?' Kamalakar urged Revanth Reddy to 'Go to Bade Bhai and get permission for the project near Tummidihatti and also national project status for this project.'
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Retired officials slam Naidu over Banakacherla project
Vijayawada: Alochanaparuka Vedika (Think Tank Forum), comprising retired officials and irrigation experts, demanded a public explanation from chief minister on his support for the controversial ₹1 lakh crore Banakacherla project. They allege it was originally conceptualised by former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and former AP CM in coordination with contractor Megha Krishna Reddy. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Leading the charge, retired DGP AB Venkateswara Rao questioned why Naidu was showing interest in a project that, according to him, was designed not for the benefit of farmers, but for enriching contractors. "If Jagan opposed Pattiseema, why is he silent on this massive Banakacherla project now? This is Jagan's brainchild, revived through political-companies' nexus," he said, demanding the release of project minutes and a public debate on its feasibility. Irrigation experts warned that the proposed diversion of Godavari waters through the Krishna basin to the Penna basin could lead to Andhra Pradesh losing its existing rights over 200 TMC of Krishna water. They also criticised the staggering maintenance costs—estimated at ₹50,000 per acre annually—and predicted massive debts for future generations. Expert Lakshmi Narayana noted that Rayalaseema's projects could lose their legal standing if water from Godavari continues to be bartered. "Even if the Polavaram canal is expanded, flooding risks in Vijayawada will increase," he added. The forum urged that instead of the expensive lift-based Banakacherla route, a gravity-based Polavaram–Penna link via Bollapalli and Nuzvidu would be a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative. They cautioned that the repeated diversion of Godavari water would weaken AP's claim on Krishna water, especially with Telangana now seeking a 500 TMC share. Calling for transparency, they demanded a re-evaluation of the Banakacherla plan in light of long-term water security, regional equity, and environmental stability.
Hans India
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
BRS leaders applaud KCR for timely completion of Kaleshwaram
Hyderabad: Speakers at a roundtable meeting credited BRS supremo K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) for the timely construction of the Kaleshwaram project and for providing irrigation water to the state. The speakers asserted that today's rulers are governing in the name of religion, disregarding the benefits of vital projects, and exploiting human weaknesses. The discussion, titled 'Telangana Water Resources... Agriculture... Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow', was organised by the Telangana Social Foundation (TSF) at Shoebullah Hall in Sundarayya Vigyan Kendram on Sunday. Participants stated that previous Telangana rulers had initiated project construction for the survival of all living beings and the conservation of fertile lands. Former Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy elaborated on the importance of water and criticised what he described as the current rulers' negligence in irrigation water storage policies. He lauded the then Telangana rulers, referring to KCR, for observing that centuries of inadequate irrigation projects had led to fertile lands being washed away and diluted into the sea due to water wastage, leaving remaining lands unfit for agriculture and jeopardising all life. He noted that KCR took up the construction of projects, stored water, and paved the way for the future of coming generations. The BRS leader lamented that the state's rightful water shares are now being transferred to other states due to what he termed the lack of foresight of the current rulers. He highlighted that in undivided Andhra Pradesh, rulers took 20, 30, even 40 years to build projects like Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam, and Jurala, whereas KCR built the Kaleshwaram project in a mere three and a half years, providing water to one crore acres. He added that 90 per cent of the Palamuru Ranga Reddy projects were also completed under the previous administration. The former minister expressed concern that the current rulers are reportedly unable to complete even the remaining 10 per cent of the work. He warned that if the current situation persists, future generations might have to seek habitats on another planet. CPM Secretary John Wesley, Sridhar Rao Deshpande, Venugopal Swamy, Ayachitam Sridhar, and Thanniru Venkatesham participated in this meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of Otendhu Narasimha Reddy.
India Gazette
18-06-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy holds all-party meeting to oppose Godavari-Banakacherla Project
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 19 (ANI): Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy held an all-party meeting with Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar and Union Minister Kishan Reddy regarding the Godavari-Banakacherla Water Project. CM Revanth Reddy targeted former CM K Chandrashekar Rao and opposed the Godavari-Banakacherla Project. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy exposed the former BRS Government's dole of Godavari waters to Andhra Pradesh. He made public the recorded evidence that established the facts about the arrangement entered into by both governments after protracted deliberations between then Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. According to a press release by Telangana CMO, CM Revanth Reddy launched a scathing attack on the erstwhile KCR Government for pledging the river water interests of Telangana to Andhra Pradesh voluntarily. The Chief Minister will be leading an all-party delegation to New Delhi to meet the Union Minister for Water Resources to voice the serious objection of Telangana over the proposed Banakacherla project by the Government of Andhra Pradesh which would cause an irrevocable loss to the interests of Telangana. Addressing media persons soon after an all-party meeting, convened by him here on Wednesday, the Chief Minister narrated the sequence of the events that led to the agreements that were completely detrimental to the interest of Telangana. He exposed how KCR had vowed to convert 'Rayalaseema into Ratanala Seema (land of gems)' by letting Godavari water into the basins of the Krishna and Penna, at the expense of Telangana's interests, the press release said. When N Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh in 2016, KCR, in his capacity as the Chief Minister of Telangana, compromised the interests of our people and state pulled by proposing at the Apex Council meeting that there was an excess water available to an extent of 3,000 tmc feet in the Godavari of which 1,000 tmc ft was going to waste into the Bay of Bengal. Launching an attack on the KCR Government, Revanth Reddy said that the BRS leaders were unhesitatingly propagating blatant lies for political gains. 'I want to explain how they had spoken while in government and how they twisted it after losing power,' he said, adding that they were lying through their teeth to revive their plummeting party fortunes either by hook or by crook, attempting to stoke false narratives. As per the official statement by Telangana CMO, when the Congress was in power between 2004 and 2009, 'we built irrigation projects to relieve farmers of their hardships. Though KCR and former Irrigation Minister Harish Rao had cooperated with the government back then, with complete understanding and even offered suggestions. We agreed to accommodate their inputs. However, they are now resorting to mudslinging on us with malicious intention and dubious objective of deriving political mileage.' Quoting from the eight-page minutes of the Apex Council meeting held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 21, 2016 at Shram Shakti Bhawan in the national capital, Revanth Reddy said, 'KCR proposed to divert 3,000 TMC feet of Godavari waters belonging to Telangana, saying they were going wastefully into the sea to Rayalaseema.' The very foundation for the idea of supplying water to Rayalaseema was laid in that meeting. This project, however, got delayed either due to political reasons or lack of compatibility and camaraderie between Chandrababu Naidu and KCR until 2019. According to the press release, he added that things took a turn after YS Jagan Mohan Reddy became the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for the first time and KCR got a renewed term in Telangana. KCR had held four rounds of meetings with Jagan and decided to transfer water to Rayalaseema. Details of the deliberations between the two governments were explained to the media by the then ministers Eatala Rajender and Buggana Rajendranath Reddy at a press conference. KCR had declared at that time: 'We will transform Rayalaseema into Ratnala Seema (Land of Gems.' Revanth Reddy said that Andhra Pradesh was now moving ahead with the project based on discussions that happened between KCR and Chandrababu Naidu in 2016 on the Godavari-Banakacherla issue. KCR stated back then, 'There are no basins or solutions.' AP wasn't pursuing a 200 TMC project--it's for 300 TMC. 'KCR had agreed that Andhra Pradesh could take even up to 400 TMC.' The Chief Minister said: 'We don't want to join the issue and engage in arguments. So, we appealed to the Union Water Resources Ministry, asserting Telangana would never compromise on its interests and let go of its natural resources. Our government has never shied away from its primary responsibility of protecting the interests of Telangana, come what may. 'BRS never worked for Telangana. The interests of the State were never a priority for them. They did not complete a single project in districts like Palamuru. In 10 years, they failed to finish even one pending project,' Reddy said. The Godavari-Banakacherla Link Scheme is a massive project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh Government at an estimated cost of Rs 80,112 crore. The plan involves diverting 200 TMC of water from the Godavari River at Polavaram to Rayalaseema through the Bollapalli reservoir and Banakacherla head regulator. The proposal seeks to interlink the Godavari, Krishna, and Penna rivers. (ANI)
Hans India
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Challenges galore for BRS ahead of local body polls
Hyderabad: For the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) which suffered huge electoral losses in 2023 Assembly polls and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, troubles don't seem to end. The main Opposition party is facing a host of challenges like cases and enquiries against its top leaders ahead of the local body elections in the state which are expected in the next one month as hinted by the ministers. This is one of the big elections in the state after the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. The BRS, which faced setbacks in these two elections, is looking to regain its lost ground in Telangana. The party leaders on several occasions contended that their main focus was on the local body elections in the state and not the council polls, which the party did not contest like the graduates and teachers. With two senior ministers in the government hinting about the polls, the main Opposition party leaders opined that there would be challenges for the party in the coming days. The party leaders like K Chandrashekar Rao and Harish Rao had to face an inquiry by the Kaleshwaram Commission. Similarly, BRS working president KT Rama Rao also appeared before the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) twice so far. The party leaders said that the Kaleshwaram Commission is expected to give its report by the end of July, and they are not sure how the report is going to be. Besides these hurdles, the party has not yet started its membership drive and the formation of the committees too. The process generally starts after the plenary in April, but the party has not taken up the drive so far. A senior leader said that the membership drive was to start in June but not taken up since the focus was on preparations to appear before the inquiry commission and ACB. However, the BRS leader said that the membership and committees would not have an impact as all the leaders will swing into action once the election process starts. Recently, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy and Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka hinted that elections for the local bodies would take place next month. However, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president B Mahesh Kumar Goud took the ministers to task for talking about the poll schedule. The recent developments like the release of Rythu Bharosa for the Kharif season gave ample indications that the local body polls would be round the corner. Party leaders are of the strong view that besides these inquiries, the episode of BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha is also likely to have an impact on the prospects of the party. She recently raised a banner of revolt against her brother and party working president KTR. She also hinted that she would chart her own path if she was not given due recognition in the party. 'This episode will obviously create doubts in the minds of the people that something is not right within the party, and they may get confused,' a BRS leader told The Hans India. Party leaders feel that the local body elections would be the litmus test for the BRS.
