Revanth Reddy slams KCR for surrendering Krishna Waters

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy launched a sharp attack on the BRS leadership in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, accusing former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao of betraying the state’s irrigation interests and evading democratic accountability. Speaking with emotion as a “son of Palamuru,” the Chief Minister said he understood first-hand the pain of migration, drought, and poverty faced by the region and asserted that the present government is determined to correct historical wrongs.

The Chief Minister expressed strong disappointment over the continued absence of the Leader of the Opposition from the Assembly for nearly two years. Despite repeated invitations to participate in discussions, particularly on Krishna and Godavari river water issues, the BRS leadership chose to stay away, he said. Revanth Reddy underlined that the Legislative Assembly is a sacred institution representing the aspirations of four crore people, where truth, facts, and public interest must prevail over rhetoric and political theatrics.

Detailing what he termed as “grave mistakes” of the previous BRS government, the Chief Minister stated that while Telangana was entitled to 490 TMC of Krishna river water after state formation, KCR and former Irrigation Minister Harish Rao agreed to only 299 TMC during interstate and Apex Council meetings held between 2015 and 2020. He alleged that by accepting reduced allocations and signing official documents, the previous regime effectively compromised Telangana’s long-term water security, calling it nothing short of a “death warrant” for the state’s farmers.

Revanth Reddy further pointed out that several major irrigation projects sanctioned between 2005 and 2014 in the united Andhra Pradesh—including SLBC, Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu, Palamuru-Rangareddy, Dindi, and others—were left incomplete during the decade-long BRS rule, despite the availability of approvals and groundwork.

Setting the record straight on the Palamuru–Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), the Chief Minister recalled that the project was first proposed in 2009 during the Congress regime, following a formal request by then Mahabubnagar MP Vittal Rao. He noted that experts, Telangana movement engineers, and the Engineering Staff College of India had recommended Jurala as the source to divert 70 TMC of floodwaters. However, he accused KCR of deliberately changing the source to Srisailam, a move that allegedly delayed the project and facilitated diversion of Krishna waters elsewhere.

The Chief Minister asserted that the BRS leadership has lost the moral right to lecture the state on irrigation or farmers’ welfare. Reaffirming his government’s commitment, Revanth Reddy stated that the Congress government would prioritize Telangana’s rightful water share, ensure transparent debate within the Assembly, and complete long-pending irrigation projects in the true interests of the state and its people.

River water rights undermined by blunders of BRS: Uttam 

Telangana’s river water rights and irrigation prospects suffered severe setbacks due to what the Congress government termed as “two historical and suicidal blunders” committed during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi regime, said Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy. Speaking in the State Legislative Assembly through a detailed PowerPoint presentation on Saturday, the Minister said the decisions taken by the BRS government had a catastrophic impact on the youngest state’s ability to utilise its rightful share of river waters.

The Minister explained that the BRS government deliberately altered the off-take points of major irrigation projects initiated earlier by the Congress in undivided Andhra Pradesh. 

The Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS), originally planned to draw water upstream of Jurala, was shifted to the Srisailam reservoir, while the Pranahita-Chevella project’s intake was moved from Thummidihatti to Medigadda. Both changes proved counterproductive, escalated costs, and resulted in zero irrigation benefits, he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that over ₹1.83 lakh crore was spent on irrigation during the BRS tenure without any tangible benefits. He pointed out that high-interest borrowings of 11–11.5% burdened the state with massive debt, which the present Congress government has since converted into low-interest loans, averting a potential financial crisis.

Highlighting PRLIS as an example of “deliberate neglect” of the Palamuru region, the Minister said project costs ballooned from Rs. 32,000 crore to Rs. 55,000 crore by 2022, and could reach Rs. 80,000–84,000 crore upon completion, despite not irrigating a single acre so far. Similarly, the Pranahita-Chevella project, subsumed under the Kaleshwaram scheme, failed to deliver benefits, with barrages now under repair.

On Krishna water disputes, the Minister accused BRS of surrendering Telangana’s interests by conceding 512 TMC to Andhra Pradesh, leaving Telangana with just 299 TMC under interim allocations. He blamed inadequate resistance to Andhra Pradesh’s expanded drawals, lack of telemetry systems, and “cozy ties” between the previous leaderships of both states.

Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that Telangana now seeks 756 TMC based on catchment area and needs, and noted that despite these challenges, the state achieved record crop yields and procurement over the past two years under the Congress government.