Kaleshwaram extends beyond Medigadda barrage, says Harish Rao

HYDERABAD: Former minister and MLA T Harish Rao has accused the Congress Government of mudslinging the BRS party by visiting the Medigadda barrage.

Harish Rao, along with MLAs Kadiam Srihari and P Sabitha Indra Reddy, was speaking to the media persons at Assembly Media Point on Tuesday. He advised that the Congress Government collect views of farmers who benefited from the Kaleshwaram project.

However, Harish Rao clarified that Medigadda Barrage alone did not mean the Kaleshwaram project. The Kaleshwaram Project was vast, with three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 19 substations, 21 pump houses, 203 km tunnels, 1,531 km gravity canal, 98 km pressure mains, 141 TMC storage capacity, 530 meters height lift, and 240 TMC usage. He alleged that instead of looking at the entire Kaleshwaram project, Congress leaders were trying to make the people see only two pillars of a barrage.

Also Read: BRS counters Congress with PPT on Krishna River water dispute

He advised the Congress MLAs visiting the Medigadda to also see Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, Kudelli Vagu, and the green fields on the route. He also suggested that they ask the farmers about the benefits of Kaleshwaram. He said even Karnataka Congress MLAs had praised Ranganayaka Sagar as a beautiful project. "If there are any lapses in such a massive project, they can be rectified. Instead of rectifying them, the Congress Government wants to target the BRS and others in the name of investigation," he alleged.

Harish Rao said there were many hurdles to constructing the Pranahita project in the Chapral wildlife area. He questioned why the Congress, which was in power at the Centre, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, did not build the Pranahita Chevella project between 2004 and 2014. He said BRS had the credit of taking the water to the drought-hit areas, and nearly three crore metric tons of crops were being harvested because of those waters.

Also Read: Harish Rao plays front-foot defence in Assembly on Krishna water, faces googleys, bouncers with alacrity

He alleged that nearly 20 people were killed when the Panjagutta flyover collapsed, and the pipes of the Devadula project burst during the Congress regime. Considering them as sad incidents, everyone moved forward. However, he alleged that the Congress was using the Kaleswaram issue to gain political advantage in the Parliament elections.

Harish Rao reiterated that the Congress Government should not hand over the projects to the Krishna River Management Board. He said the Congress Government woke up from its slumber only after the BRS party announced it would hold a protest meeting in Nalgonda. He said the visit of Congress legislators to Medigadda today was only aimed at diverting people's attention from the BRS meeting in Nalgonda on the Krishna River water issue.

He also expressed anger over the violation of traditions of the Legislative Assembly. He said it was against the traditions of the House not to give an opportunity to the opposition after the ruling party had spoken.