HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday accused the previous BRS regime of committing a “major blunder” by relocating the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) from its original site at Jurala to Srisailam.
Describing the decision as a “betrayal of Telangana’s water interests”, the minister said it lead to massive cost escalations, loss of priority in water allocation and unnecessary concessions to Andhra Pradesh. “This shift was not just an error. It was a deliberate undermining of our state’s future,” he added.
The minister made a PowerPoint presentation on irrigation related issues to ministers and Congress MLAs in the presence of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Uttam began his presentation by dismantling what he called the BRS’ “baseless” and “cruel myth” of 90% completion of the PRLIS. He said that the project, initiated via a GO on June 10, 2015, under the BRS regime, was originally estimated to cost Rs 35,000 crore.
However, a detailed project report (DPR) submitted to the Central Water Commission (CWC) on September 13, 2022, inflated the cost to Rs 55,000 crore and this excluded critical elements like the ayacut canal system and land acquisition.
“The completion of the PRLIS and its full fledged operationalisation with the ayacut canal system and distributor network would demand over Rs 80,000 crore,” he explained, highlighting that the BRS had only spent Rs 27,000 crore during its tenure.
Countering the allegations levelled by former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao, claiming that the Congress government had ignored the project, he pointed out that the present administration had invested Rs 7,000 crore in the past two years.
The minister accused the BRS of inflating progress reports to mislead the public, stating, “Their 90% completion claim is utterly unfounded and a disservice to the people of Telangana, especially those in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda districts who have suffered from drought for decades.” He further noted that the BRS had wrongly alleged the Congress government in undivided AP had neglected Krishna basin projects, when in fact, the foundational GO for PRLIS was issued by the Congress in August 2013.
The minister said that the decision of BRS to shift the PRLIS intake from Jurala to Srisailam was a “major blunder” with far-reaching consequences. According to the minister, the original proposal, enshrined in the August 2013 GO from the Congress-led government in the undivided Andhra Pradesh, positioned PRLIS as an “old project” with inherent priority in water allocation tribunals. “Had we stuck to Jurala, it would have been recognised as an existing initiative, not a fresh one subject to new delays and scrutiny,” he said.
Advantages lost
Uttam elaborated on the hydrological advantages lost due to the relocation. Jurala, he explained, provides access to 70 tmc of flood water, with an average daily flow of one lakh cusecs for 28 days during flood seasons. As the first project on the mainstream of the Krishna River Basin -- spanning the Upper Krishna and Upper Bhima sub-basins -- Jurala benefits from catchment areas over the Western Ghats, ensuring reliable water availability. “By moving to Srisailam, we’ve placed Mahbubnagar and surrounding areas at the receiving end, dependent on upstream releases that may not always materialise,” he warned, adding that this shift reduces both the quantum and reliability of water supply.
Uttam said that the Brijesh Kumar Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-2) verdict is expected in some eight months time. “Section 3 of the Interstate Water Disputes Act is our main strength,” he stated, expressing optimism that justice will be done to Telangana.