Provide Water To Farmers From Kaleshwaram: BRS

BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao today claimed that it was due to the vision and leadership of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao that water from the Kaleshwaram project was reaching Siddipet.

He made these remarks after releasing water from the Ranganayaka Sagar reservoir (a component of the Kaleshwaram project) into a canal leading to Bikkabanda Gutta at the Choudaram village in Chinna Kodur mandal.

Addressing the gathering, Rao alleged that the Congress government had not released a single rupee for land acquisition during its one-and-a-half-year tenure. "There is water in the Ranganayaka Sagar, Kondapochamma and Mid Manair reservoirs. But the Congress government, out of political vendetta, has not acquired even one acre of land for the project this year," he claimed.

"All major infrastructure - pump houses, reservoirs, substations, main canals and distribution canals - was ready under the Kaleshwaram project. The only task left was acquiring land and digging canals to provide water to farmers. Yet, no progress has been made," he said.

Rao lauded the determination of farmers from Kondengulakunta and Bikkabanda, who, in the absence of government support, dug canals using their own funds, and even compensated those who lost land.

"The Congress government is not working with such a spirit of service. It's functioning with a divisive mindset. If minor canals are dug, the ayacut will expand and benefit more farmers. I've requested Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy for at least Rs 15 to 20 crore to be released for land acquisition. We even moved a cut motion in the Assembly and staged protests to wake the government up," he said.

Rao claimed that the Kaleshwaram project had turned out to be a boon for North Telangana. "Even the Coca-Cola factory came here because of assured water supply from Kaleshwaram," he said, and demanded immediate repair of the collapsed pillars in the project to ensure uninterrupted water supply.

"The Kaleshwaram project is benefiting 52,000 acres in Siddipet alone. This is the legacy of KCR. It's not enough to sit in Hyderabad and declare the project a failure. Multiple constituencies are receiving water thanks to this initiative," he claimed.

The BRS leader concluded by demanding that the "Goebbels-like propaganda" against the project be stopped, and that land be acquired, canals be dug, and water reach every farmer.