Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao today accused the Opposition parties of misguiding farmers about the Mallanna Sagar project in the Medak district.
Reacting on the Congress' hue and cry and Telugu Desam Party leader Revanth Reddy's fast against the project, the minister said that the Mallanna Sagar project was akin to the heart of Telangana. He slammed the Opposition for adopting different tones each day and sabotaging the projects. Only about seven villages would get submerged due to the project, but the capacity of Ellampalli was 25 TMC, he said.
Rao also sought to know why the Congress did not protest the Polavaram project and the Pulichintala project when the TRS opposed them. Telangana Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy should apologize for the Pulichintala project which was opposed by the TRS, he said. He also took exception to the TDP leaders for not objecting to Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for forcing the Centre to merge 7 mandals into AP.
The Opposition would be held responsible for any injustice caused to the farmers, Rao said. The State government had taken care to ensure that the least number of villages would get submerged due to the project, and the affected families would be compensated suitably, he reiterated. The government was determined to complete the project despite hurdles, he said, adding that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had redesigned the projects to lessen the adverse affect. The Opposition should not indulge in such a malicious campaign against the project which was aimed at providing drinking and irrigation waters to four districts, he stated. And the farmers should chase away the Opposition parties for coming in the way of the works, he suggested.