A file photo of Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has no moral right to criticise the Congress government with regard to its attempts to revive the damaged Medigadda Barrage, part of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), terming it a disaster thrusted upon the State by the BRS government.
He ridiculed the BRS’ proposed visit (Chalo Medigadda) to the barrage scheduled on March 1, and their suggestions on repair works.
Addressing a press conference at Jala Soudha on Wednesday, Mr. Reddy alleged that the BRS’s proposed visit to Medigadda is a political gimmick to divert the public attention from the ongoing debate over large-scale corruption.
“While ₹94,000 crore was spent on KLIP, it has provided irrigation to only 97,000 acres of the new ayacut,” he said, and added that ₹25,000 crore worth works were allotted to the contracting agencies without preparation of the detailed project reports (DPR).
He reiterated the government’s stance on the project that they would take a call on the revival of the Medigadda barrage and other barrages only after receiving the report from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).
Mr. Reddy also demanded an explanation as to why the BRS government led by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who was also the then Irrigation Minister, had not made any statement on the collapse of the piers of the barrage on October 21 last year.