Congress readies arsenal for Water war

Hyderabad: The Telangana Assembly is likely to witness a water war on Monday when the Congress government would present the whitepaper on irrigation projects explaining in detail how several irregularities in terms of technology, design and financial aspects had taken place during the previous BRS government.

In a strategic move, the Congress party held a special workshop at Praja Bhavan for all MLAs and MLCs on the issues that would be presented before the Assembly and how the Congress legislators should take on the BRS on the alleged irregularities in the irrigation sector.

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy gave a detailed project-wise power-point presentation and explained how the previous government had not followed proper methodology in the construction of dams and how the KCR government had interfered in the project works, altered designs and how it failed to monitor the quality of works which had led to damage to the Medigadda barrage and sinking of piers. He also gave a presentation on the cost that was originally estimated and the cost escalation and how it had caused huge losses to the state exchequer.

Uttam Reddy also made a presentation on the projects like Palamuru Ranaga Reddy and Jurala projects which were started during the Congress regime in undivided Andhra Pradesh but were dumped by the BRS government after the formation of Telangana.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy who was also present at the meeting asked the members to have a clear understanding of the details that were presented at the Sunday meeting so that when they would go to Medigadda on Tuesday, they can have clear understanding of the irregularities committed by the BRS government in the construction of the projects.

Sources said that the government was even considering the possibility of postponing the visit to Medigadda by a day to enable the BRS legislators to join them. The BRS legislators refused to go to Medigadda saying that they have to attend the public meeting at Nalgonda. However, a decision to the effect is yet to be taken. BRS working president K T Rama Rao even ridiculed the visit saying that it is Revanth Reddy and his team who need to see how the BRS government had completed Kaleshwaram which is world’s biggest lift irrigation scheme. Some small technical problems at a barrage are being blown out of proportion for political purposes, he had said.