Bhatti Vikramarka, Uttam allege huge corruption by BRS in Sitarama project

HYDERABAD: Telangana Deputy Chief Minster Bhatti Vikramarka conducted a review of the Indira Sagar and Rajiv Sagar projects along with Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy. The purpose of the review meeting was to inform the public about the actual situation of these irrigation projects in Khammam district.

During the meeting on Friday, Bhatti Vikramarka mentioned that the Government had already spent Rs 889 crore before 2014 on these projects. He stated that Dummugudam Rajiv Sagar would cost Rs 1,681 crore, while Indira Sagar's expenditure was Rs 1,824 crore and opined that if remaining Rs 1,552 crore were invested in these projects, water would be available for four lakh acres of land.

The Minister expressed anger at the KCR Government for increasing the estimated cost of the Sitarama project to Rs 18,500 crore and asserted that Rs 4,481 crore had been spent on the project instead of the estimated cost of Rs 3,486 crore. Bhatti Vikramarka criticised the fact that not a single acre of land was receiving water due to redesign issues.

He stressed the importance of people's cooperation in saving the state from exploitation and stated that witnessing such exploitation would be infuriating. Bhatti also suggested that allocating Rs 500 crore annually for the first three years could provide water to thousands of acres of land.

On the other hand, Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy also expressed dissatisfaction with the BRS Government and their handling of the Sitarama project. He criticised the Government for creating illusions that they were making progress when the estimated cost had doubled. He also accused the BRS Government of neglecting the irrigation department and failing to provide water to several acres of land despite spending significantly on the Kaleswaram project.

Reddy questioned the effectiveness of the BRS Government's ten-year rule, particularly in terms of water share. He mentioned that the Central Government would provide 60 per cent of funds for national projects and criticised the BRS leaders for not applying for national status in the correct format. He assured that the funds would still be available even without national status.

The Minister further expressed frustration with Harish Rao, claiming that the BRS Government did not hand over any projects to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) and accused Harish of prioritising politics over the state's projects. He also mentioned that Telangana did not provide a reply to the Center's discussions on Krishna River projects.

He questioned the authority of the BRS to talk about Krishna water and criticised them for not considering the Sangameshwara project, which would carry Krishna water. He accused the BRS Government of looting Telangana's wealth and subjecting it to injustice. He also mentioned that the repayment interest for the debts brought by the BRS Government would be a burden of 18,000 crore.