HYDERABAD: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday said that the Congress government will create a new ayacut of approximately 5 lakh acres by the end of the year. He was speaking to the media after chairing a high-level review meeting with officials of the Irrigation department at the Jalasoudha here on Saturday.
Uttam said that a substantial portion of the budget was unproductive and much wasteful expenditure was made during the previous BRS government. He said that the need of the hour is to prioritise optimal expenditure while focusing on bringing new ayacut under irrigation. Uttam also made it clear that preference would be given to projects capable of generating new ayacut swiftly.
Medigadda being probed: Minister
Stating that a vigilance inquiry into the Medigadda barrage sinking has been initiated and those responsible would be held accountable, he reiterated that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had written to the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, urging him to spare a sitting judge for a judicial inquiry into the Kaleshwaram project.
Asked about the protection of Telangana’s rights on Krishna water, Uttam said that when he and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Minister for Water Resources Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the latter promised funding for Palamuru Rangareddy LIS under different Central government schemes.
Original Pranahita design would have cost less,done more: Min
Uttam criticised former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for changing the Ambedkar Pranahita Chevella project to the Kaleshwaram project. He argued that the original project would have created new ayacut of 16 lakh acres at one-fourth the cost of KLIS.