BRS ‘Chalo Medigadda’ unveils Kaleshwaram’s mega structure to Telangana, demands water to farms

ANNAARAM: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Thursday succeeded in unveilng the extent of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) to the people of Telangana with the help the visit to Medigadda and Annaram barrages.

More than 2,000 BRS leaders, former Ministers, MPs and MLAs led by working president KT Rama Rao visited the barrages along with irrigation experts. Cadre and farmers from the erstwhile Warangal district visited the barrages and tried to understand the real situation. They realised that the sagging was limited to three pillars and not to Annaram barrage.

KTR and others inspected piers 19,20 and 21 where the sagging occurred. Later, they visited Annaram barrage and addressed cadre and media.

“The Revanth Reddy Government is resorting to diversion politics by undertaking fake yatras. The BRS called for Nalgonda meeting and Revanth Reddy goes to Medigadda. We visit Medigadda and he calls for Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme visit,” KTR pointed out.

He said that the BRS would continue similar trips to other KLIP components.

Former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said the BRS suceeded in pressurising the Congress Government to under take repairs to Medigadda.

”Medigadda is one of hundred components in Kaleshwaram and only three out of 86 pillars sagged. So Government should work on a warfooting and prepare the project for vanakalam cropping season,” he said.

He reminded the Congress Government that Medigadda should not be treated as a tussle between two political parties but an essential structure that could irrigate vast tracts of Telangana.

Harish Rao demanded that the Government restore the Medigadda barrage and prove his sincerety towards the people of Telangana. “The CAG blamed the erstwhile Congress regime of Rs 55,000 crore corruption in ‘Jalayagnam’,” he said.

Former Minister Kadiyam Srihari explained the extent of the project and the facts behind the permissions granted by Central agencies with the help of a PPT presentation. He pointed out the reasons for re-engineering of Pranahitha-Chevella project and the reasons for shifting it from Tummadihatti to Medigadda.

The BRS leaders also sought a privilige motion against CM Revanth Reddy for misleading the Assembly on expert committee advise against constructing barrage at Medigadda.

Engineers’ JAC member Venkatesam,

who also visited both the barrages along with BRS leaders, said that the aim was to utilise 1,250 TMC of both Godavari and Krishna water. He said that Medigadda played an important role in saving Telangana farmers by storing huge quantities of water.

“The damage is rectifiable and the NDSA was given the responsibility to advise the Government. So repairs must be undertaken on warfooting,” he said. He said that stoplock gates could be used to stop water leakage so that repairs could be undertaken.

He demanded that the Chief Minister appoint a full-time engineer and a committee to speed up repairs to Medigadda.