In Telangana politics, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders have repeatedly inspected the Kannepalli (Lakshmi) Pump House and Medigadda Barrage (part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project) in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, making it a focal point of their offensive against the Congress state government.
Key Highlights of the BRS Delegation’s Visit
- Delegation Composition: A high-level BRS delegation comprising key MLAs from Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts—including Devireddy Sudheer Reddy, Madhavaram Krishna Rao, K.P. Vivekanand Goud, Marri Rajashekar Reddy, and Bandari Laxma Reddy, alongside former minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao and former MLA Gandra Venkata Ramana Reddy—conducted a detailed on-site inspection.
- Core Issue Raised (Water Wastage vs. Hyderabad Scarcity):
- The BRS leaders pointed out that substantial volumes of Godavari water are flowing downstream unutilized into the sea.
- They alleged that the Congress government’s refusal to turn on the high-capacity lift pumps at the Kannepalli pump house is creating and exacerbating a severe drinking water crisis in Hyderabad and adjacent municipal corporations.
- Ultimatum to the State Government:
- The MLAs warned that if the state government does not immediately resume pumping water from Kannepalli into the storage reservoirs to secure Hyderabad’s drinking water needs, BRS legislators and cadres will lay siege to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s residence.
- They argued that under K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), critical infrastructure was kept operational to guarantee water and power, contrasting it with what they described as deliberate negligence to defame the Kaleshwaram project.
The Ruling Congress Government’s Rebuttal
- Accusations of Mismanagement & Safety Risks:
- Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress leaders dismissed the BRS inspection as a political stunt.
- The Congress administration asserted that the structural flaws, sinking piers at Medigadda, and past flooding of the Kannepalli pump house were direct consequences of corruption, poor planning, and hasty execution under the previous BRS regime.
- The government reiterated that pumping operations must adhere strictly to safety, structural stability assessments, and recommendations from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).
