Revanth creating drought by not lifting Godavari waters: Harish

BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao alleged that the present drought was not caused by nature but by the Congress government’s failure to utilise the irrigation infrastructure created by the BRS government.

Mr. Rao, who participated in the 15-km Maha Padayatra organised by the farmers of Chinnakodur mandal demanding filling of the Ranganayaka Sagar Reservoir, accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of pushing Telangana into an artificial drought through political vendetta against the Kaleshwaram project.

The vision behind the Kaleshwaram project was to assure farmers that they would no longer have to depend on uncertain monsoons if Godavari waters were lifted into Telangana’s reservoirs. He said that for six years under the BRS government, farmers never experienced water scarcity as irrigation canals were opened whenever required and reservoirs remained full even during summer.

He accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of refusing to operate the Kaleshwaram pumps only because the project had been built under Mr. K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s leadership. “KCR-bashing will not bring water to the fields. Only lifting Godavari water will. Instead of abusing Mr. Chandrashekhar Rao every day, operate the Kaleshwaram pumps and save Telangana’s farmers,” Mr. Harish Rao said.

He contrasted Telangana’s approach with that of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, alleging that while Andhra Pradesh was utilising the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme to lift every available drop of Godavari water, the Telangana government was allowing nearly 70 TMC of water to flow downstream without utilisation.

According to Mr. Harish Rao, had this water been lifted through Kaleshwaram, reservoirs such as Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar and Kondapochamma Sagar would have been full.

He cautioned that if the Kaleshwaram pumps were not operated immediately, the Congress government would be held responsible for the losses suffered by Telangana’s farming community.