Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the Congress Government in Telangana aims to optimise spending on irrigation projects to create a new ayacut of approximately 5 lakh acres by the end of this year.
Uttam Kumar Reddy made these remarks during a media briefing following a review meeting with officials from the irrigation department at Jalasoudha on Saturday, January 13.
In his interaction with the media, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that the review meeting “exposed significant wasteful and unproductive expenditure” during the previous BRS government.
Consequently, he emphasised the need for the present government to prioritise optimal expenditure, focusing on maximising new ayacut under irrigation. He further emphasised that priority would be given to projects capable of swiftly generating new ayacut.
“We discussed projects and expenditures during the meeting, identifying those where new ayacuts can be generated within 6 months and one year. We categorised the time frames for new ayacut creation, with a decision to maximise expenditure on projects achieving this goal within six months to one year. Our target for this calendar year, by December 2024, is to create new ayacuts spanning 4.5 to 5 lakh acres,” he asserted.
Uttam Kumar Reddy mentioned the initiation of a vigilance enquiry into the Medigadda barrage collapse and assured that those “responsible would be held accountable.”
He also disclosed that chief minister A Revanth Reddy wrote to the Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court, urging the appointment of a sitting judge to conduct a judicial enquiry into the Kaleshwaram project.
Addressing the issue of water rights, the Irrigation Minister affirmed the state government’s ‘commitment’ to safeguard Telangana’s water rights. He expressed openness to productive discussions with neighbouring states and the central government.
“Recently, the chief minister and I met with Central Minister for Water Resources Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, seeking national project status for the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. Though the Union Minister clarified the absence of a specific scheme for national project status, he assured funding for the Palamuru Rangareddy under different Central Government schemes,” he added, noting that a proposal would be sent this week to the Government of India for funding of the project, as assured by the union minister.
Responding to another query, Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised former chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for changing the Ambedkar Pranahita Chevella project to the Kaleshwaram project.
He argued that the original project would have created a new ayacut of 16 lakh acres at one-fourth the cost of Kaleshwaram. He lamented the alleged blunders made by KCR in irrigation projects, asserting that the people of Telangana would “bear the adverse consequences for generations.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy reiterated the Congress government’s commitment to creating new ayacuts expeditiously at optimal expenditure.
He also announced the government’s plan to desilt all water tanks across Telangana during the summer. In light of the current water scarcity, he mentioned that a delegation led by chief minister Revanth Reddy will visit Karnataka to seek 10 TMC of Krishna water to meet the upcoming drinking water needs.
