Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy has alleged that the previous state government caused irreparable damage to Telangana by prioritizing its ties with former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy. He accused the former administration of squandering ₹1 lakh crore on the Kaleshwaram project, which he claimed had collapsed without providing water benefits. He further criticized the government’s failure in irrigation projects, stating that the Palamuru-Rangareddy project did not add even a single acre to the ayacut.
Krishna Water Dispute: Telangana’s Concerns Raised with Centre
The minister said he had briefed Union Minister CR Patil about the injustice Telangana faced in Krishna water allocation. He criticized the previous administration for failing to install telemetric systems over a decade and accused it of enabling Andhra Pradesh’s excessive water utilization. He claimed that past decisions restricted Telangana’s usage to just 180 TMC, despite its entitlement to 299 TMC.
Uttam Kumar Reddy also alleged that former Chief Minister KCR and his team repeatedly compromised Telangana’s interests in meetings related to water allocation. He assured that the current government was taking corrective measures and vowed to complete the SLBC tunnel project.
Kaleshwaram Project Under Investigation
Regarding the collapse of the Kaleshwaram project, the minister revealed that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had intervened and identified flaws in the project’s design. He stated that the NDSA had issued a written directive against filling the reservoirs. However, he alleged that the previous administration secured high-interest loans at 12% for commissions. He noted that the current government had renegotiated these loans, bringing the interest rate down to 7%.
Additionally, he accused the previous government of favoring Andhra Pradesh by postponing the Apex Council meeting for Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project approvals. He also criticized the failure to secure Telangana’s rightful water share and initiate repairs at the Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects, which the present government is now addressing.