BRS challenges Congress to operate Kannepalli pumps or hand project to KCR

The BRS on Monday intensified its offensive against the Congress government over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), demanding the immediate operation of the Kannepalli pump house. Throwing an open challenge to the government, Jagadish Reddy said if the Congress lacked the confidence to operate the pumps, it should hand over the project to former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao for a week.

“The BRS would fill the reservoirs within seven days. We accept full responsibility and will even dissolve the party altogether in case of any untoward incident, as feared by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy,” he asserted, accepting the challenge.

Speaking to mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan here, former Minister and Suryapet MLA G



Jagadish Reddy said operating the Kannepalli pumps would enable the storage of up to 150 TMCft of Godavari River water. He accused the ruling Congress of deliberately refusing to lift irrigation water for the farmers of Telangana despite looming drought conditions. He reminded that despite its allegations, the Congress had failed to prove irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project till date.

Rejecting the government’s reliance on the recommendations of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), the senior BRS leader said the issue was being used as a pretext to avoid operating the project. He also accused the government of avoiding water lifting to save on power costs and evade procurement and bonus payments to farmers.