Hyderabad: Former Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy on Friday criticised Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy over his remarks on irrigation projects made during a visit to Palamuru. Niranjan Reddy alleged that the Chief Minister was attempting to discredit works completed during the previous BRS government while diverting attention from the current government’s performance.
Referring to the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme, Niranjan Reddy claimed that works worth nearly ₹35,200 crore were executed during the BRS administration. He stated that the Chief Minister had acknowledged that around ₹27,000 crore had already been spent on the project. He also questioned Revanth Reddy’s claim that ₹52,121 crore had been paid towards principal and interest on irrigation-related loans and sought supporting details.
Niranjan Reddy further alleged that while in opposition, the Congress party had filed several cases against the Palamuru-Rangareddy project and that, after assuming office, it cancelled canal tenders, resulting in increased project costs. He claimed that nearly 26,800 acres of the required 27,100 acres for the project had been acquired during the previous government, leaving only about 300 acres pending.
Commenting on the Chief Minister’s observations regarding water utilisation calculations, Niranjan Reddy argued that established irrigation norms should not be altered arbitrarily. According to him, any deviation from accepted norms could weaken Telangana’s claims before the Central Water Commission and potentially affect the state’s water rights.
The former minister also claimed that the BRS government had completed several long-pending lift irrigation projects and introduced a work-based payment system in place of mobilisation advances.
Questioning the Congress government’s performance over the past 30 months, Niranjan Reddy alleged that no major irrigation project had been completed despite repeated assurances. He also sought clarification on why issues related to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Palamuru-Rangareddy project, which had reportedly been returned by the Centre, were not addressed during the Chief Minister’s visit.
Alleging that the Palamuru tour was focused more on political messaging than project execution, Niranjan Reddy said the government should prioritise completing pending works and delivering irrigation benefits to farmers and residents.
The Telangana government had not issued an official response to Niranjan Reddy’s remarks at the time of publication.
