Daijiworld Media Network – Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Jul 8: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, accusing former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), his son K T Rama Rao (KTR) and senior party leader T Harish Rao of acting as "financial terrorists".
Addressing a power-point presentation on irrigation projects for Congress legislators, Reddy challenged KCR to participate in a special joint session of the Telangana Assembly and Legislative Council for a detailed debate on the Kaleshwaram project.
The Chief Minister said the state government was ready to convene the legislature whenever KCR wished and urged the BRS chief to write to the Assembly Speaker to finalise the date for the debate.
Rejecting the BRS' allegation that the Congress government was neglecting the Kaleshwaram project, Reddy alleged that the previous BRS regime had left Telangana with a debt burden of Rs 8.21 lakh crore.
He claimed that the original Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project, estimated at Rs 38,000 crore, was redesigned into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project at a cost of Rs 1.47 lakh crore, with payments amounting to Rs 1.02 lakh crore made to contractors during the BRS government's tenure.
Reddy further alleged that the Kaleshwaram project had suffered structural failures while the BRS was still in power.
"This is destruction. In English, it is called financial terrorism. KCR, his son KTR and T Harish Rao are financial terrorists. They not only looted Telangana's economic roots but also caused destruction," he said.
The Chief Minister also cited the National Dam Safety Authority's preliminary report, which reportedly attributed damage to the project's barrages to poor construction quality, inadequate maintenance and failure to adhere to safety norms.
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, built across the Godavari river in Bhupalpally district during the BRS regime, became a major political issue following damage to some of its barrages and figured prominently during the 2023 Telangana Assembly elections.
Reddy reiterated that the Congress government was prepared for an open discussion on the project in a joint sitting of the state legislature.