Congress demands construction of barrage at Tummadi Hatti

Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President & Nalgonda MP Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that the State Government construct a barrage at Tummadi Hatti to store over 120 TMC of water for irrigation in Adilabad, Nizamabad and other districts.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with other senior leaders of Congress party, visiting Tummadi Hatti in Adilabad district on Monday. The Congress leaders visited the foundation stone and pylon of Pranahita Chevella Project which was laid by the then Chief Minister Dr. Y.S. Rajashekhara Reddy in 2008. They also took a boat ride in the Godavari River.

Speaking to media persons later, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the previous Congress Government had begun the construction of Dr. Ambedkar Pranahita Chevella Project at a cost of Rs. 38,000 crore to irrigate 16 lakh acres of land. He said the works on the digging of canals were also initiated. The Congress party lost the 2014 elections and TRS came to power. He said present Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao was also in favour of completion of Pranahita Chevella project and TRS legislators and MPs even assured in Assembly and Parliament to fight with the Centre to get national project status for Pranahita Chevella. However, he said after about one-and-a-half in power, the Chief Minister took a U-turn and announced Kaleshwaram Project in the name of re-designing.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Pranahita River gets inflows of nearly 160 TMC which was confirmed by WAPCOS in its report by stating that this area has been getting similar inflows for the last 70 years. He said that the Congress Government wanted to construct the barrage of 152 Metres height at Tummadi Hatti. Since this would have submerged 3,000 acres of land in Maharashtra, KCR re-designed the project and announced the construction of a barrage at Tummadi Hatti by reducing its height to 148 Metres. He also signed an agreement with the Maharashtra Government and even organised grand celebrations at Begumpet Airport on that day. He said KCR was concerned about submergence of 3,000 acres in Maharashtra, but not worried over lack of irrigation water to lakhs of acres in Telangana. He said despite so much fanfare and celebrations, TRS Government did not construct the barrage at Tummadi Hatti.

Stating that nearly Rs. 80,000 crore was spent on Kaleshwaram Project, he said the government would have to spend a huge amount on its maintenance and operations every year. The TPCC chief said that the barrage at Tummadi Hatti could be constructed at a minimal cost and by lifting water up to 15 Metres it could be supplied to Adilabad, Nizamabad and other areas through gravity. Unlike other barrages constructed by TRS Government which involves huge maintenance and heavy expenditure on power to lift water, the barrage at Tummadi Hatti would be just one-time investment. By spending Rs. 4,000 crore for construction of a barrage at Tummadi Hatti, at least 120 TMC of water could be stored.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress party was not against the construction of irrigation projects. However, he said that the Congress party could not tolerate the wastage of public money. He said there were huge irregularities and corruption in the execution of works of Kaleshwaram Project. He said tenders worth several hundred crores were awarded on nomination basis. As per rules, he said Global Tenders must be called for work worth more than Rs. 5 lakh. He said several rules were violated and norms flouted in Kaleshwaram Project. He said that the Congress party has been alleged huge corruption in Kaleshwaram Project, but the TRS Government never gave a satisfactory reply. He asked KCR to explain as to why Global Tenders were not called for Kaleshwaram Project.

CLP leader Bhatti Vikramarka, former CLP leader Jana Reddy, ex-LoP in Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir, MPs Komatireddy Venkatreddy and A. Revanth Reddy, former PCC Presidents V. Hanumantha Rao and Ponnala Lakshmaiah, MLAs D. Sridhar Babu, Seethakka and others, MLC T. Jeevan Reddy, ex-Union Minister Balram Naik and other senior leaders were part of the Congress team which visited Tummadi Hatti.