HYDERABAD: State BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Sunday accused the Congress government of failing to rehabilitate the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram project.
In an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the BJP leader said that the government was neglecting the revival of the project despite repeated recommendations by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).
Ramchander alleged that though it has been in office for more than two-and-a-half years, the Congress government failed to implement the recommendations made by the NDSA in its reports dated November 1, 2023, May 1, 2024, and April 2025. “Delay in implementing the recommendations has deprived Telangana of irrigation and drinking water from the Kaleshwaram project, causing distress to farmers and the public,” he said.
While blaming the previous BRS government for the alleged faulty design and poor construction that led to damage to the three barrages, he said the Congress government had failed to revive the project despite having three working seasons to complete the required rehabilitation.
He alleged that the state had ignored key recommendations, including crack mapping, structural safety assessments, geotechnical and geophysical investigations, hydraulic design reviews, instrumentation and operation and maintenance protocols.
Referring to Revanth Reddy’s recent statement that the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti had constituted an expert committee to guide the rehabilitation process, Ramchander Rao said the Telangana government was attempting to shift responsibility onto the NDSA.
Under the National Dam Safety Act, 2021, he said, the state government, as the owner of the project, is solely responsible for carrying out rehabilitation works, while the central committee is only meant to provide technical guidance.
The BJP chief said NDSA had recommended that the gates of all three barrages remain open to prevent further damage. He claimed that water could still be lifted from the Kannepalli without storing water at Medigadda, while rehabilitation of the comparatively less-damaged Annaram and Sundilla barrages should have been completed earlier.
According to him, restoring these structures would have ensured irrigation to 20 to 25 lakh acres and drinking water supply to northern Telangana, including 10 tmc for Hyderabad.