HANAMKONDA: Accusing the Congress government of neglecting the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme, BRS leader T Harish Rao on Friday claimed that failure to operate pump houses has left thousands of farmers without irrigation support in the erstwhile Warangal district.
Addressing the media during his visit to Phase-III pumping station at Devannapet village in Hanamkonda district, the former Irrigation minister demanded immediate restoration of all non-functional motors to ensure irrigation to 3.5 lakh acres.
“All three motors at the facility are non-operational. Despite adequate flow in Godavari, the motors are not being operated, raising suspicions about the government’s intentions. The Congress government is deliberately not lifting water through the motors of the Devadula project as it wants to release water to Andhra Pradesh,” he alleged.
Stating that about 16,000 cusecs of water were flowing at Sammakkasagar barrage on the day of inspection, the Siddipet MLA wondered why water was not being lifted and released for Telangana farmers when there was sufficient water available in the river.
“About 60,000 acres of crops dried up last year due to the non-operation of pumps. Lift irrigation has once again been halted for the last 10 days, affecting several constituencies, including Jangaon, Palakurthi and Station Ghanpur,” he claimed, criticising the government for citing repair and software issues while failing to ensure continuous water supply to farmers.
“On March 18, 2025, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and in-charge minister Poguleti Srinivasa Reddy announced that the motors would be started in the pump house at Devannapet. But they failed to operate the pumps,” he said.