KCR tears into Opposition

Bhakta Ramadasu project gets underway

Tirumalayapalem (Khammam): Launching a broadside against the Opposition, especially the Congress, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday equated the disruption of irrigation projects to the ‘cover fire’ in a bid to hide their lacklustre ruling in last 58 years.

“There were questions, sarcasms and humiliating remarks when Telangana movement was in progress. Now the critics came to know what our fight was all about,” KCR said, pointing to his government’s first major success Bhakta Ramadasu Lift Irrigation Scheme (BRLIS), which he inaugurated earlier in the day at Erragadda Tanda under Kusumanchi mandal.

BRLIS is the beginning of TRS government’s herculean task of bringing one crore acres under irrigation, he said, asserting that they would overcome all the hurdles created by the Opposition parties.

He assured of providing irrigation water to Kakaravai, Bachodu, Subled, Solipuram, Painampalli, Rajaram, Husnabad etc that were not covered under the BRLIS.

“Sri Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Scheme will be completed in one-and-a-half year,” KCR said, asserting that decades of drought would soon come to an end. Praising Bhakta Ramadasu, he said a memorial would be constructed in Nelakondapalli, the saint composer’s birthplace.

Taking a dig at former Union Minister P Chidambaram’s remarks that the State government had failed to do anything for the poor, KCR said that Congress neither had vision to develop during its regime nor had eyes to see the strides Telangana made in last couple of years.

Referring to the double bedroom houses, pensions, fine rice for the mid-day meal scheme, Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha, Haritha Haram, revival of Singareni jobs on compassionate grounds, uninterrupted power supply, increase in capacity of godowns from 4 lakh Metric Tonnes (MT) to 21 lakh MT introduced by his government and highways development from 2,650 kms to 5,426 kms, the CM questioned Chidambaram was it not the development?

Earlier in an emotional speech, Minister for Roads and Buildings Tummala Nageswara Rao said: “BRLIS is a lasting solution to the irrigation woes of farmers in the drought-affected Palair constituency.

Many eyebrows were raised questioning the possibility of the project, but owing to the support of the farmers, district administration and the irrigation department, we were able to complete the project in just 11 months.”

Profusely thanking the CM in designing the project and constantly enquiring about its progress, he said that Sri Sita Rama Project is their next target. Be it with Godavari or Krishna waters, the aim is to bring cheers to the farmers in Khammam and Kothagudem districts.

Earlier, KCR inspected ongoing works of Mission Bhagiratha near Madiripuram. He said government was committed to provide drinking water along with the internet connection to every household in about a year.

Minister for Irrigation T Harish Rao said: “Development is on the right path with the modernisation of Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal and restoration of defunct lift schemes in the region. TRS government achieved what its predecessors didn’t by completing BRLIS in its two-and-a-half year regime.”

Earlier, the CM felicitated Vanajeevi Ramaiah, who was selected for Padma Shri award, and Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) promoter PV Krishna Reddy for completing the BRLIS in record time.

Ministers Kadiyam Srihari, G Jagadish Reddy, E Rajender, MPs Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Gutha Sukhender Reddy, B Narsaiah Goud and a host of legislators including Puvvada Ajay Kumar and B Laxminarayana were present.