BRS destroyed irrigation sector despite spending Rs1.81 lakh crore: Uttam

Mahabubnagar: Minister for  Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday launched a scathing attack on the previous BRS government, accusing it of wasting massive public funds while failing to create meaningful irrigation benefits for farmers.

Addressing a press conference along with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the conclusion of an extensive two-day inspection tour of irrigation projects across the Palamuru region, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Congress government had undertaken the exercise with a clear objective of accelerating all ongoing and proposed irrigation projects and removing bottlenecks that had delayed their completion for years.

He alleged that one of the gravest mistakes committed by the previous government was shifting the water source for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme from Jurala to Srisailam.

The Minister said the decision severely damaged the interests of the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district and resulted in huge expenditure without creating even a single acre of assured ayacut.

“The previous government claims to have spent nearly Rs 27,000 crore on the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, but not a single acre of irrigation potential was created. This is the reality behind their propaganda,” he said.

The Minister said that several major irrigation schemes in Telangana remained incomplete despite a decade of BRS rule. He pointed out that projects such as Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Nettempadu, Bhima and Koilsagar in Mahabubnagar district remained pending, while the SLBC tunnel in Nalgonda district witnessed little progress for years.

Similarly, he noted that the Sitarama Project in Khammam district had consumed nearly Rs 8,000 crore without delivering irrigation benefits on the expected scale. Referring to the Kaleshwaram project, he alleged that it was designed, constructed and eventually suffered structural failures during the tenure of the previous government itself.

“The irrigation sector was completely damaged by the previous regime. They spent nearly Rs1.81 lakh crore of taxpayers’ money, including borrowed funds, but failed to deliver proportionate irrigation benefits. They have no moral right to lecture us on irrigation management today,” he remarked.

Taking exception to suggestions being made by opposition leaders regarding the operation of pumps and reservoirs, Uttam Kumar Reddy said those responsible for creating the present problems should introspect instead of offering advice.

The Minister asserted that the Congress government was fighting more effectively for Telangana’s rights over Krishna river waters than the previous administration. He said Telangana’s case was being strongly represented before the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal and the Supreme Court.

He further claimed that Telangana had utilised more Krishna river water after the Congress government assumed office in December 2023 than during the ten years of BRS rule. The increased utilisation, he said, had translated into higher agricultural acreage, record paddy production and unprecedented procurement levels across districts dependent on Krishna waters, including Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and parts of Khammam.

Highlighting the government’s achievements in agriculture, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana had recorded the highest paddy production and procurement levels in its history under the Congress government.

He announced that paddy procurement during the current Yasangi season had crossed 71.5 lakh metric tonnes, describing it as a national record. Telangana alone accounted for nearly 60 per cent of India’s total Yasangi paddy procurement, a figure expected to rise to around 75 per cent by the end of the procurement season.

“Telangana has already been declared the number one rice-producing state in the country. Today, we are not only the number one producer but also the number one procurement state in India,” he said.

The Minister stated that despite limited support from the Centre, the State government had continued to stand firmly with farmers. While the Centre had agreed to procure only about 51 lakh metric tonnes of paddy, Telangana is spending an additional Rs 6,600 crore to ensure procurement of very grain produced by farmers,. The overall procurement eas projected to cross 75 lakh metric tonnes, he said.

The Minister further claimed that since coming to power, the Congress government had spent an additional ₹16,649 crore beyond central procurement commitments to purchase Rabi paddy from Telangana farmers.

Turning to the irrigation sector, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the two-day tour was intended to prepare a comprehensive action plan for completing all major projects in the erstwhile Mahabubnagar district.