Colossal waste of people's money: Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka

Kaleshwaram (Bhupalpally): Even after spending Rs 1 lakh crore, the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (CLIP) is yet to yield desired results, Leader of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said. Speaking to media persons here on Friday, he alleged that KLIP is a huge scam of the TRS government led by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.

"The TRS government resorted to redesigning irrigation projects only to loot public money. The KLIP, which so far gobbled up more than Rs 1 lakh crore, is yet to irrigate a single acre," Bhatti said. While making it clear that Congress was not against irrigation projects being taken up for the benefit of farmers, Bhatti said that the government could have saved thousands of crores of rupees had it gone with the Congress-proposed plan to lift water from Tummidi Hatti. As a result, the government was paying nearly Rs 30,000 lakh per annum as principal and interest amount to the lenders, he added.

The TRS government watered down the very concept of separate Telangana – neellu, nidhulu and niyamakalu (water, resources and jobs). KCR's focus is on benefiting himself and the contractors, Bhatti said, daring the TRS leaders to come for an open debate on irrigation projects.

"Still we have not completed the construction of distributary canals, but KCR presents a colourful picture that all that farming taking place in Telangana was due to KLIP. It's nothing but cheating people," Bhatti said. Training guns against the BJP-led Central government, Bhatti accused it of implementing anti-farmer policies, and demanded it to withdraw the farm laws immediately.

Earlier, Bhatti and other Congress leaders offered prayers at Kaleshwara Mukteeshwara Swamy temple. MLA D Sridhar Babu, MLC Jeevan Reddy and former MP Madhu Yashki Goud were among others present.