Former Telangana minister T Harish Rao launched a sharp attack on the state's Congress government on Monday, demanding clarity on the status of the crucial Palamuru–Rangareddy lift irrigation scheme (PRLIS). He specifically questioned Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy about the government's actions over the past year after the Centre returned the project's detailed project report (DPR).
Direct Challenge on Project Permissions and Water Allocation
Addressing the media, the senior Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader challenged Minister Reddy to clarify a critical issue. He demanded to know if the government order issued by the previous BRS administration, allocating 90 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) of water for the Palamuru project, had been reduced to 45 tmc ft under the current regime.
Harish Rao contrasted the track records of the two governments. He claimed that during its tenure, the BRS government had secured seven crucial permissions for major irrigation projects. In stark contrast, he alleged that the Congress government, in its two years, had failed to secure even a single such permission. He went so far as to label Congress leaders as the true "Palamuru betrayers," accusing them of filing cases in the green tribunal specifically to stall these vital projects.
Allegations of Stalled Work and Comparative Performance
The former minister revealed strategic steps taken by the previous government to keep the work moving. "To ensure work did not stop despite legal hurdles, we continued project work under the guise of drinking water requirements. We excavated two tunnels for the two tmc ft capacity, and I openly challenge minister Uttam on this specific matter," Harish Rao stated.
He also highlighted the apparent stagnation of the Kodangal-Narayanpet lift irrigation scheme. While its foundation stone was laid two years ago, Rao claimed that the DPR has not yet been sent to the concerned authorities for approval.
Financial and Infrastructural Investments Cited
Harish Rao presented a detailed account of investments and outcomes to bolster his criticism. He stated that the BRS government spent a staggering Rs 27,000 crore and acquired 27,000 acres of land to advance the Palamuru project.
He provided comparative irrigation statistics to underline his point. According to him, the Kalwakurthy project irrigated only 14,000 acres between 1985 and 2014. However, from 2014 to 2023, the BRS government spent Rs 2,300 crore to provide water to over 3 lakh acres under the same project. For Palamuru district, he claimed BRS spent Rs 4,000 crore to irrigate 6.5 lakh acres in 9.5 years, compared to just 1 lakh acres allegedly irrigated by Congress and TDP governments over six decades.
He also pointed to the SLBC tunnel progress, stating that while the BRS government completed over 11 km of excavation, the current Congress administration has managed only 200 metres in two years.
Call to Action and Accusation of Empty Promises
Concluding his remarks, Harish Rao urged Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy to stop making what he called "utta maatalu" (empty promises) and to focus on delivering tangible progress. He cited the example of a 1 km-long link canal that remains incomplete after two years as evidence of the government's inefficiency, framing it as a failure to serve the people of the region.
