Latest news with #StateIrrigationandCivilSupplies
Hans India
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam's poser to BRS leaders: Why are you scared of judicial probe if KLIS was a marvel
Hyderabad: State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), questioning why its leaders, including former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao were afraid of a judicial probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) if they genuinely believed it was a 'marvelous engineering achievement'. Addressing the press, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, 'Ever since the Judicial Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice PC Ghose served notices, the BRS leadership has been running a propaganda campaign instead of cooperating. If they have confidence in the project, why don't they appear before the Commission and make their case? KTR should be renamed 'Goebbels Rao' for the way he is spreading misinformation and attacking institutions.' Uttam condemned BRS leaders for 'disparaging a judicial process' and warned that deliberate attempts to undermine the Commission's credibility could have legal consequences. 'You cannot insult an institution simply because you've been asked to respond to questions about the Kaleshwaram project. The law will take its course,' he asserted. Referring to recent remarks by BRS leaders about sabotage at the Medigadda barrage, Uttam questioned their motives. 'You were in government when the FIR was filed. Why didn't you bring up this 'bomb' theory then? Why now? Are you trying to escape the judicial process by creating sensational diversions?' he asked. 'If you have such evidence, submit it to the Commission instead of shouting from rooftops.' He also said that the Congress government was exploring ways to revive and repurpose the Kaleshwaram project, though the task is daunting. 'We are making non-political, fact-based efforts to salvage what we can. But the foundations are defective. Every test report exposes the fraud. This is why BRS leaders are panicking – not because of politics, but because the truth is catching up.'
Hans India
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam vows to secure fair share of Krishna waters for Telangana
Hyderabad: State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday vowed that the Congress government would fight to secure a fair share of Krishna river waters for Telangana, correcting what he called a 'historic betrayal' by the previous BRS regime. 'The BRS government surrendered Telangana's rights by accepting just 299 tmcft out of the total 811 tmcft Krishna river allocation, leaving 512 tmcft to Andhra Pradesh – and that too in writing. It was not a negotiation; it was a sellout,' Uttam said. He declared that the Congress government has reversed this approach and is now firmly defending Telangana's claims. 'We have reopened the issue before the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal and are demanding a 70:30 ratio – 70 per cent for Telangana and 30 per cent for Andhra Pradesh – based on catchment area, cultivable land, drought-prone zones and population,' he said. Uttam Kumar Reddy added that he is the only Irrigation Minister in the country to personally attend the state's case in the water tribunal. 'Our government is committed to correcting every wrong committed by the BRS,' he said. He said the goal is to green the drought-hit districts of the former Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, and Khammam regions by fully utilising Krishna waters through targeted irrigation projects. Rs 62,000 crore wasted on Kaleshwaram Slamming the BRS government's irrigation legacy, Uttam called the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project a historic blunder that drained Rs 1 lakh crore from the state exchequer while neglecting the real irrigation needs of Telangana. 'If the previous government had stuck to the original Pranahita-Chevella project designed by the Congress at an estimated cost of Rs 38,000 crore, Telangana could've completed at least 10 major irrigation projects. Instead, Rs 62,000 crore was wasted on a single project that ended in structural failure and financial disaster,' he said. He accused the BRS of dismantling the Pranahita-Chevella blueprint prepared under former Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, which aimed to bring both Krishna and Godavari waters to the state in an efficient, cost-effective manner. 'They abandoned that vision and built Kaleshwaram at Medigadda for political optics. The result? Three collapsed barrages and no benefit to farmers,' he said. Uttam alleged that Kaleshwaram became a vehicle for massive corruption. 'This wasn't irrigation; it was inflation. A Rs 38,000 crore plan was inflated to Rs 1 lakh crore. Now we are left with a non-functional project and irreversible financial loss,' he said.
Hans India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Uttam taps CWC for allotment of water to PRIL, Sammakka projects
Hyderabad: In a determined push to resolve Telangana's pressing irrigation and water allocation concerns, State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy met Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman Atul Jain in New Delhi on Wednesday. The meeting focused on expediting water allocations for two major projects — the Palamuru-RangaReddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) and the Sammakka-Sarakka Barrage, while also raising critical issues related to inter-State water management, infrastructure safety, and backwater impact from the Polavaram project. The Minister requested a total water allocation of 90 tmcft for PRLIS, with an immediate sanction of 45 tmcft in the first phase, citing that Telangana had already complied with all procedural and documentation requirements laid down by the CWC. Similarly, the Sammakka-Sarakka Barrage, located at Thupakulagudem in Mulugu district, is designed to stabilise irrigation for nearly 5.55 lakh hectares under the JChokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme and the Sriram Sagar Project (stages I and II). With a total capacity of 6.94 tmcft, the barrage will also cater to drinking water needs of several villages along its route. Uttam urged the CWC to expedite the allocation of 44 tmcft for the Sammakka-Sarakka project, noting that all necessary maps and documentation had been submitted. He underlined the importance of early approval to ensure that agrarian communities dependent on these projects are not left vulnerable to recurring droughts. In addition to these project-specific matters, the Minister expressed serious concerns over the illegal diversion of Krishna River water by Andhra Pradesh. He called on the CWC to immediately install telemetry instruments at critical points along the river to monitor water flows and prevent unauthorised withdrawals. He pointed out that Telangana had already released its financial share for the installation of these instruments to the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB). Highlighting another major concern, Uttam Kumar Reddy drew attention to the potential backwater threat from the Polavaram Project. He urged the CWC to undertake a fresh assessment of backwater impacts on Telangana's border villages and recommend necessary safeguards to prevent flooding and displacement.
Hans India
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Pahalgam terror attack a cowardly act: Uttam
Hyderabad: State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy strongly condemned the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, terming it a cowardly attempt to disrupt peace and communal harmony. Recalling his service as a fighter pilot in the Indian Air Force, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, 'I have served at Avantipur Air Force Station near Srinagar, in Leh-Ladakh, and was part of the air defence operations in the Siachen Glacier. I understand the ground realities. This attack was carried out with the intention of creating a Hindu-Muslim divide, to hurt Kashmir's economy, and to create unrest and damage our country.' He praised the Muslim community of Kashmir for standing united against terrorism. 'I particularly appreciate the Kashmiri Muslims who, in one united voice, condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam,' he said. Calling for strong action, Uttam Kumar Reddy added, 'Those responsible for this act, and those who supported it directly or indirectly, must be severely punished. This is not just an attack on a region – it is an attack on India's unity.' He further stated that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) had passed a resolution condemning the attack and reaffirming the call for national unity. 'India must stand united in such moments. This is not the time for division but for solidarity,' Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasised.
