Congress slams KTR over Godavari water row

Hyderabad: Government Whip Adi Srinivas on Sunday accused BRS working president KT Rama Rao of spreading misleading information about Godavari water flowing downstream from the Kannepalli pump house. He described KTR’s remarks as “crocodile tears” and said the Congress government was committed to utilising every drop of water for Telangana’s farmers.

Srinivas alleged that the previous BRS government had turned the Kaleshwaram project, built at a cost of nearly Rs 1 lakh crore, into “Kuleshwaram” due to alleged corruption and commission-driven decisions.

Criticising KTR’s demand to lift the 20,000 cusecs of water flowing downstream from Kannepalli, Srinivas said the remarks were misleading. He maintained that Godavari water was being utilised through irrigation projects, including Devadula and Sita Rama, and accused BRS leaders of falsely claiming that the water was flowing into Andhra Pradesh without benefiting Telangana.

Questioning the demand to lift water from Kannepalli, Srinivas cited the collapse of the Medigadda barrage and referred to the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) findings on structural safety concerns at the Kaleshwaram barrages. He also expressed concern over reported seepage at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages, alleging that they were not in a condition to safely store water. He held the previous BRS government responsible for the problems affecting the project.

Srinivas further questioned alleged financial transactions involving the BRS, referring to Rs 1,500 crore reportedly credited to the party’s account. He said the Congress government, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, would prioritise the effective utilisation of Godavari water and ensure that available resources reached farmers across Telangana.

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Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty

Venkateshwarlu Kolishetty