NALGONDA: Accusing BRS president and former CM K Chandrashekhar Rao of trying to mislead the people after ruining the state during his 10-year rule, Irrigation & Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday said that the present Congress dispensation was working sincerely and tirelessly to serve the people of Telangana.
Uttam was addressing the gathering, along with Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, after laying the foundation for an additional block at the Nalgonda Collectorate.
He said that the BRS president, who pushed Telangana into a deep financial crisis during his tenure as CM, is now shamelessly attacking the Congress government that is working hard to repair the damage. “During the 10-year BRS regime, KCR destroyed Telangana. Now, he is targeting those who are working sincerely to rebuild the state,” he said.
The Irrigation minister that the Congress lost around five to six months because of elections after assuming office but had not wasted a single day since then. “Since taking oath as a minister on December 7, 2023, I have not taken leave even for a single day. We are working round the clock to serve the people,” he said.
Uttam pointed out that the previous BRS government spent Rs 1.81 lakh crore on irrigation projects but there has been no significant increase in ayacut during its regime.
“They spent Rs 27,000 crore on Palamuru-Rangareddy project and Rs 9,000 crore on the Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project, but not a single acre received irrigation water,” he added.
“The previous government spent Rs 1 lakh crore on Kaleshwaram project but it turned out to be a disaster. The Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages collapsed during the BRS regime due to poor design, poor construction and poor operation and maintenance. The BRS leaders were more interested in commissions than in serving farmers,” he alleged.
In contrast, Uttam said, the Congress government was committed to completing all the pending irrigation projects in a transparent manner. “We are determined to complete the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project, which was neglected by KCR and BRS for 10 years. SLBC will become a reality under the Congress government,” he added.
He also accused KCR of betraying Telangana’s farmers by agreeing to an unfair Krishna water allocation. “KCR agreed to just 299 TMCs of Krishna waters during bifurcation, causing huge injustice to Telangana. Today, the Congress government is fighting to secure Telangana’s rightful share in Krishan waters,” he said.
Taking a strong swipe at the BRS chief, Uttam said: “Since losing power, KCR has not been attending the Telangana Assembly sessions. He is afraid to face the elected representatives in the House. But he addresses public meetings to spread lies and cover up his failures.”
Earlier in the day, Uttam led a huge bike rally in Nalgonda town and inaugurated three lift irrigation schemes under the AMR SLBC HLC system at Bakkathaikunta, Ponugode and Narsingbatla-Domalapally, built at a cost of over Rs 46 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for the construction of an additional block at the Nalgonda Collectorate at a cost of Rs 36 crore.