Harish speaking with ‘forked tongue’ on irrigation: Uttam

Hyderabad: In wake of BRS leader T Harish Rao blaming the government’s mismanagement for possible irrigation crisis in Rabi, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the previous BRS regime’s wrongdoings for farmers’ woes.

During an informal media interaction in Gandhi Bhavan, the Minister allayed apprehensions about the water shortage in the coming days. He accused BRS leader Harish Rao of making false allegations and held the previous BRS government responsible for Telangana’s water crisis. Uttam Kumar highlighted that Telangana produced more paddy during the Kharif season than the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh and stated that Rabi cultivation would exceed 55 lakh acres. He assured that the Congress government is supplying water as per the announced Rabi action plan.

Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasised that the present Congress government has been efficiently managing limited water resources. However, he alleged that the previous BRS government’s mismanagement of Krishna and Godavari river waters is causing severe hardships for farmers now. He accused BRS of recklessly allowing Andhra Pradesh to build infrastructure to draw excess water and even giving a written commitment to allocate 512 TMC from the Krishna River.

The Minister stated that after Congress came to power, efforts were made to amend these rules. He blamed BRS for the water crisis in the Godavari basin and called the party’s failure to construct the Tummidi Hatti project a major loss for Telangana.

He also cited an NDSA report warning that if safety measures were not taken at Medigadda, entire villages could be submerged. Uttam Kumar Reddy reiterated his demand that Harish Rao stop misleading people with false allegations against the Congress government.