Congress Alleges Corruption In Telangana Irrigation

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy today accused the Telangana government of initiating the Mallanna Sagar reservoir project only to draw huge sums of commission from the project's contractors.

Addressing the dharna being held by Godavari Waters Forum chairman Marri Shashidhar Reddy at Indira Park in solidarity with the Mallanna Sagar land oustees, Reddy accused the State government and the contractors of corruption in the reservoir project.

The TPCC chief alleged that the TRS-led government had junked the Pranahitha-Chevella project, which was viable technically, and had taken up the Kaleshwaram project in the name of redesigning, only to indulge in irregularities.

He quoted experts in the field saying that the State government was constructing a huge reservoir to store water when a sump or an intake well was enough to channel it.

Reddy also accused the government of threatening, and of using phyical force against, the farmers (oustees) who took up protests last month.

"The government is still using the old GO No 123 for acquiring land despite the High Court's ruling, and purchasing the lands at a very low cost from the farmers. This is undemocratic and unjust. The government is refusing to give them a fair compensatation," he said.

He said that the Congress would wage a war against the government if that was the only way to deliver justice to the farmers near Mallanna Sagar.

Former TPCC chiefs Ponnala Laxmaiah and V Hanumantha Rao, Congress MLA D K Aruna and others participated in the dharna.