Narsapur (Telangana) [India], September 3 (ANI): Former minister and BRS Legislature Party deputy leader T Harish Rao on Thursday alleged that irrigation canal works across the erstwhile Medak district had stalled under the Congress government, leaving farmers without adequate water.
Harish Rao, accompanied by Narsapur MLA Sunitha Laxma Reddy, inspected stalled Mallanna Sagar and Kaleshwaram canal works at several locations in the Narsapur constituency. At Reddypally, he pointed to a canal where construction had stopped, and weeds and thorny trees had reportedly grown over the unfinished stretch.
Using the site as the backdrop, Harish Rao issued a “selfie challenge” to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, alleging that the condition of the canal was evidence of the government’s failure to complete the irrigation works.
He alleged that the Congress government was neglecting irrigation projects in the erstwhile Medak district for political reasons. According to Harish Rao, the previous BRS government headed by K Chandrashekar Rao had planned to provide irrigation water to Narsapur, Andole and Sangareddy constituencies through the Mallanna Sagar project under Packages 18 and 19.
Harish Rao claimed that nearly 85 per cent of the 18-km tunnel connecting Mallanna Sagar with Narsapur had been completed during the BRS regime, leaving only about 300 metres of work unfinished.
He said completion of the remaining stretch would allow Godavari water to flow through the canal into the Haldi stream and subsequently reach the Nizam Sagar system, benefiting farmers in parts of Medak and Nizamabad districts.
“Why has the government failed to complete the remaining 300 metres of the tunnel?” Harish Rao asked, alleging that the delay was causing hardship to farmers.
The former minister further claimed that nearly 50,000 acres could be brought under irrigation if about ₹50 crore was allocated for distributary canals under the Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Ranganayaka Sagar projects. He alleged that the required funds had not been released.
Harish Rao also criticised the alleged delay in the Basaveshwara and Sangameshwara irrigation projects. He said the two projects were intended to provide irrigation to around five lakh acres covering Narayankhed, Zaheerabad, Andole, Sangareddy and Patancheru constituencies.
He alleged that work to raise the height of the Ghanapuram barrage, for which funds had been sanctioned during the previous government, had also been stopped. Similarly, he claimed that lift irrigation works in Dubbaka, which were about 80 per cent complete, had been left unfinished.
Referring to the possibility of drought conditions due to the El Niño effect, Harish Rao questioned the government’s preparedness. He alleged that there was no adequate effort to fill the Mallanna Sagar and Kondapochamma reservoirs.
He recalled that several check dams on the Haldi and Manjeera streams had overflowed even during summer under the previous government and alleged that the same structures were now experiencing water shortages.
Harish Rao also questioned Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s failure to address pending irrigation projects during his recent visit to Sangareddy.
“Why is the Medak district being neglected? Is the Congress government planning to shut down its operations in the erstwhile Medak district?” he asked.
Harish Rao demanded the immediate resumption of the Sangameshwara and Basaveshwara project works, completion of the Ghanapuram barrage height-raising works and completion of the Kaleshwaram canal works connecting Mallanna Sagar with Narsapur and Andole.
He also called for the immediate release of funds for land acquisition linked to pending irrigation projects in the district.
Concluding his visit, Harish Rao said he was taking a selfie at the stalled canal works and would tag Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, describing the photograph as “living evidence” of the unfinished works and the vegetation that had grown over the site.
He urged the Congress government to immediately resume the stalled tunnel, canal and irrigation project works. (ANI)
BRS's Harish Rao challenges CM Revanth Reddy to ‘selfie challenge’ at stalled Narsapur canal works
