White paper on irrigation projects in day or two; Revanth Reddy asks KCR to visit Medigadda

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has said that the Telangana Government will release a white paper on irrigation projects in the Assembly in a day or two.

Speaking at the Assembly session ahead of the visit to the Medigadda project by Ministers and MLAs on Tuesday, Revanth said, "The Irrigation Minister will release a white paper on irrigation projects in Telangana. In 2008, the then Government called for tenders for the construction of Pranahita Chevella project at a cost of Rs 38,500 crore. By calling for redesign of the project, the BRS Government had changed the design of the project and increased expectations. Estimates were increased to Rs 1,47,000 crore."

Explaining the need to review the vigilance report on the damage to Medigadda barrage, Revanth said, "The BRS claimed that movement of sand led to cracks in the barrage. But they did not allow anyone to inspect it. There were media reports that some officials had destroyed a few files related to the incident. Because of this, our Government ordered a vigilance inquiry and a report has been submitted. It is the responsibility of every member of the Legislature to know what caused the damage. There is a necessisity to dicuss the vigilance report in the Assembly."

Also Read: Revanth Reddy, Uttam prepare legislators on irrigation for debate on Feb 12, visit to Medigadda on Feb 13

Taking a swipe at former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) said, "Let us all visit the Medigadda barrage. I appeal KCR and his legislators to visit Medigadda and explain the miracles you have created. Please share how you constructed a marvel like Taj Mahal. People of Telangana need to know the facts. We must find out what went wrong and who should be blamed for the damage to Medigadda. If KCR cannot come by bus, we have arranged for a helicopter for KCR to visit the barrage."

Meanwhile Minister Sridhar Babu said, "Kaleswaram project has been reviewed in all aspects. A group of ministers have already inspected Medigadda. We made a vigilance inquiry expecting that were huge losses. We have invited all members of the BRS, the BJP, the MIM, and theh CPI to come to Medigadda. The Dam Safety Authority has clearly stated that there are mistakes in the construction of Medigadda. Even though it has been 40, 50 years since the big projects were built during the Congress regime, they are still intact. The vigilance report showed that public money was misused by the previous Government."