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New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Rs 100 crore for alternative bridge at Jurala, says Telangana Minister Uttam
HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday strongly condemned what he described as false propaganda by BRS leaders regarding the condition of old irrigation projects such as Jurala and Manjeera. He asserted that the current issues affecting these projects are the direct result of the BRS government's decade-long negligence, particularly their failure to carry out even routine maintenance — not due to any fault of the present Congress administration. Uttam Kumar Reddy, accompanied by minister Vakiti Srihari, inspected the Jurala project on Saturday and later addressed the media. He said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has taken a personal interest in the protection of the Jurala project and sanctioned Rs 100 crore for the construction of an alternative bridge. This bridge aims to divert heavy vehicular traffic from the dam surface, thereby preventing long-term structural damage. 'The chief minister is deeply committed to safeguarding Jurala and sanctioned the funds today,' he said. Referring to reports about damage to the gate ropes at Jurala, Uttam Kumar Reddy dismissed the concerns as exaggerated. 'There is no threat to the dam's operations. Engineers and technical experts have confirmed this. The BRS is misleading farmers instead of acknowledging its own failures,' he said. He reiterated that the Congress government is fully committed to the proper maintenance of existing irrigation projects while also taking up the construction of new ones to meet the long-term irrigation needs of Telangana. 'We are systematically restoring every project that was neglected by the previous regime — Jurala, Manjeera, Nagarjunasagar, SRSP, Kalwakurthy, Koilsagar, and Bhima — while giving top priority to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. Our goal is to make the entire undivided Mahbubnagar district lush green again,' he said.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
BRS govt followed engineers' advice on KLIS: Harish to Ghose panel
1 2 Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister T Harish Rao has staunchly defended the BRS govt's decisions on Kaleshwaram project, asserting they were backed by technical recommendations, cabinet approvals, and driven by ground realities, including inter-state constraints. Deposing before the Justice (retired) PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry on Monday, Harish Rao, who held the irrigation portfolio between 2014 and 2018, clarified that the former BRS govt had shifted the Kaleshwaram project location from Tummidihatti to Medigadda based on expert committee advice, water availability, and political hurdles with neighbouring Maharashtra. "The Central Water Commission itself said the proposed water availability at Tummidihatti was not feasible. Of the 160 tmcft expected, 63 tmcft had already been allocated to upstream states. The CWC even wrote to the state to reconsider the proposal," Harish Rao said during the 40-minute hearing, conducted in English and Hindi. He supported his statements with a line diagram of the project. He added that an expert committee of retired engineers had also flagged concerns over Tummidihatti's viability. "The idea was to irrigate 16 lakh acres, but even the engineering committee recommended creating artificial reservoirs instead," he said. The ex-minister also highlighted Maharashtra's strong opposition to the barrage at 152 metres elevation due to submergence and local resistance. "Despite several rounds of meetings with Maharashtra ministers and even their then CM Devendra Fadnavis, who candidly remarked that even when the Congress was in power, both in state and at the Centre, they could not push this project through for seven years. How could we have succeeded where they failed, given the local anger," Harish Rao said. He maintained the eventual decision to shift to Medigadda and reconfigure Annaram and Sundilla barrages was guided by a Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) survey and recommendations from both serving and retired engineers. "Even major projects like Nagarjuna Sagar, SRSP, and the recent Kanthanpally saw location changes after field surveys — so such revisions were not unprecedented," he said. On the barrage failures, Harish Rao distanced the political executive from operational decisions. "Filling up of barrages was entirely a decision of field-level engineers and the irrigation department. The govt had no role in that," he claimed. When asked about the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Corporation, Harish Rao confirmed that it was created as a special purpose vehicle to raise loans. "The initial plan was to generate revenue through water tariffs from industries, but Covid-19 disrupted that. The state then stepped in with budgetary support, and the govt never defaulted," he said. Harish Rao also pointed out that all decisions regarding Kaleshwaram—barrage locations, project structure, and KLIC formation—had cabinet backing. "Some decisions, especially on technical grounds, were made on the advice of engineers. Govts cannot override technical feasibility," he reiterated. His deposition comes at a time when the BRS is under political fire following structural failures in the prestigious multi-purpose Kaleshwaram project, which was often showcased by the party as a symbol of Telangana's irrigation resurgence.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Telangana govt spent Rs 10,665 cr on fine rice: Uttam
1 2 Hyderabad: Irrigation and civil supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said the Congress govt has spent Rs 10,665 crore to provide quality fine rice to 89.90 lakh ration card holders, benefiting 2.81 crore people across the state. He described the initiative as a historic measure to ensure food security for the poor in Telangana. "Under the Congress govt, every beneficiary now receives six kg of fine rice free of cost. The state has achieved a record paddy procurement, marking the highest level of procurement in Telangana's 11-year history, even surpassing figures during the period of undivided Andhra Pradesh," the minister said. "In the last Kharif season, farmers cultivated paddy in 46.7 lakh acres and produced a record 1.03 crore tonnes. For the Yasangi season, cultivation extended to nearly 60 lakh acres, with an expected yield of 1.30 crore tonnes. The govt will ensure that every eligible family in Telangana receives ration card," he said. On irrigation projects, Uttam issued a strong directive to officials to expedite all land acquisition and forest clearance processes related to irrigation projects. He assured farmers that he would personally oversee the process to ensure fair compensation for their land. "For 45 years, no govt undertook desilting or de-sedimentation of SRSP, which has become heavily silted and unable to store water at its full capacity. The Congress govt has now launched a comprehensive desilting and de-sedimentation programme for major irrigation projects, including SRSP and Nagarjuna Sagar, to restore their water-holding capacity and ensure farmers receive the water they need," he added.
The Hindu
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Desiltation of SRSP, Kadem and other projects will be taken up to restore original storage capacity: Uttam
Stating that the storage capacity of the Sriramsagar Project (SRSP) has dwindled due to accumulation of silt, Minister for Civil Supplies and Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that desilting and dredging works will be taken up in adherence to modern techniques. Similarly, desiltation of Kadem and other projects will be taken up by using modern methods to enhance their storage capacity, he said while addressing a review meeting with the officials of Karimnagar, Peddapalli, Jagtial and Rajanna Sircilla districts in Karimnagar on Thursday. IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu, and Transport and Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar were present. The meeting had reviewed the implementation of Indiramma Housing Scheme, the Bhu Bharati initiative, paddy procurement and preparations for Kharif season, officials said. Mr. Reddy said the MLAs and MPs concerned will be involved in the exercise of devising the action plans for the release of water for Kharif season. Telangana achieved a record-breaking paddy production of over 130 lakh metric tonnes of paddy in around 60 lakh acres in Yasangi (rabi) season. He added that an amount of Rs 13,000 crore has been paid to farmers towards Yasangi paddy procurement till May 28, 2025. During the same period in 2023, only Rs 3,500 crore was paid to farmers under the previous BRS government, he said. Congress strengthened the Irrigation sector appointing 1100 engineers and 1800 Laskars. He asked Jagtial Collector to consult the officials concerned to speed up the process of obtaining forest clearance for the Rollavagu project. He said the Narayanapuram reservoir, Kondagattu lift irrigation scheme and Kalikota Suramma projects will be completed in an expeditious manner. He said all the leaders should cooperate with the judicial commission probing the Medigadda barrage incident. Appropriate action will be taken based on the judicial commission report, he added.
The Hindu
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BRS ridicules Irrigation Minister's repeated attempt to malign Kaleshwaram project with lies
HYDERABAD Senior leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao has ridiculed Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy for his 'repeated attempts to spread misinformation on Kaleshwaram Project with the belief that people will believe a lie as a fact if told repeatedly'. In a statement, Mr. Harish Rao alleged on Saturday that spreading lies and misinformation on the Kalaeshwaram Project had become the single-point agenda for Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy, as also Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He questioned the rationale of Mr. Uttam Reddy terming the project as a 'white elephant' while making use of several pump houses and reservoirs constructed as part of the project. Along with documents Mr. Rao reiterated that the Central Water Commission had written to the State government on February 18, 2015 and March 4, 2015 on the non-availability of 160 tmc ft of water planned to be used for the earlier Pranahita-Chevella project at the proposed Tummidihatti Barrage site. Besides, then Maharashtra Chief Minister had written to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart on their opposition to the barrage at Tummidihatti. The Congress government had never attempted to work out an agreement with Maharashtra by convincing the latter for the barrage, though the same party was in power in A.P., Maharashtra and at the Centre from 2007 to 2014. It was the Congress government that had given ₹2,328 crore mobilisation advance to contractors even before taking up the project work. The estimated cost of Pranahita-Chevella started with ₹17,875 crore initially was first revised to ₹38,500 crore in less than two years, and later to ₹40,300 crore. He stated that the Congress government had spent only ₹3,780 crore on Pranahita-Chevella works, including land acquisition against the claims of Mr. Uttam Reddy that ₹10,000 crore was spent. Mr. Harish Rao sought to know why the Congress government had not constructed Tummidihatti Barrage and a gravity canal from Tummidihatti to Yellampally reservoir from 2007 to 2014. He stated that water storage capacity was increased to 141 tmc ft in Kaleshwaram from 16 tmc ft in Pranahita-Chevella. The Kaleshwaram project had created a new ayacut of 3,04,766 acres, including 98,570 acres directly, 39,146 acres by filling 456 minor irrigation tanks with Kaleshwaram canals and another 1,67,050 acres by filling 2,143 minor irrigation tanks with Kaleshwaram water under SRSP Stage-I and Stage-II. 17,08,230 acres of ayacut was stabilised under SRSP Stage-I (Lower Manair Dam), Stage-II and Nizamsagar project and another 20,576 acres under 66 checkdams by diverting Kaleshwaram water to Kudellivagu and Haldivagu.
