Telangana Chief Minister Sri A. Revanth Reddy today handed over appointment letters to newly recruited Assistant Engineers (AEs) and Junior Technical Officers (JTOs) in the Irrigation Department, reiterating his government's commitment to strengthening irrigation infrastructure in the state.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister strongly criticized the previous government’s handling of the Kaleshwaram project, calling it “an example of how not to build an irrigation project.” He highlighted that despite spending over Rs 1 lakh crore, the project failed to irrigate even 50,000 acres and suffered structural collapse within just three years of its completion. “Kaleshwaram is the only project in the world that collapsed so quickly after being built. Soil testing was not even done at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages,” CM Revanth remarked.

He questioned the unaccounted expenditure of over Rs 2 lakh crore on irrigation projects since the formation of Telangana and called upon intellectuals and government employees to reflect on the misuse of public funds.

Welcoming the newly appointed engineers, CM Revanth said, “This is not just a job—this is an emotion. You are representatives of the aspirations that led to the formation of Telangana.” He emphasized that the government’s ongoing recruitment drive—filling 1,161 vacancies in the irrigation department within 15 months—is proof of its dedication to completing stalled and critical projects.

Revanth stressed the importance of engineers acting independently and professionally, free from political interference. “Engineers cannot perform effectively under instructions from politicians with limited technical knowledge. Projects with defective plans are bound to fail,” he stated.

He reiterated the government’s priority to complete long-pending irrigation projects including SLBC, Sitarama, Devadula, Nettempadu, and Sammakka-Sarakka. He also assured the public that efforts are underway to complete Group-1 recruitment, despite obstacles created by political adversaries.