Congress jittery over its future: Harish

​Hyderabad: Lashing out at the Congress for raising doubts on the Kaleshwaram project, Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday said that the leaders of grand-old party were in fear of losing ground in Telangana and hence they were filing cases in courts against the project.

Speaking to media persons here, Harish Rao said that the Congress party was adopting the same approach on Kaleshwaram, which they had taken on the issue of separate statehood to Telangana. “They are acting against the interests of the people of Telangana.

One can understand if Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu raises objection against Kaleshwaram project but we don’t understand why the Telangana Congress is working against its own people. It is clear the Congress party does not want water going to the fields of the farmers,” he said.

The Irrigation Minister said that the Congress party was afraid that they will be wiped out from the state if the Kaleshwaram project gets completed and hence they were trying to stop the works by filing cases in the courts.

He said that the government wants to utilise its share of 954 tmc ft of water from the Godavari river. He questioned whether the Congress party constructed single irrigation project on Godavari. He said that Congress government started the Pochampad project in 1963 but completed it after 37 years in 2000.

The project was designed to provide water to 9.67 lakh acres but they could not provide water even to 6 lakh acres. “Their intention is to stop the projects,” said Harish Rao. They tried to stop the Malannasagar project too, he added.

The minister alleged that the Congress leaders were providing logistic support to TJS leader Prof M Kodandaram for his visits to project sites. He pointed out that Prof Kodandaram visited a village Bylampur in Medak in a car (TS09EL2555) which is registered in the name of Congress leader Damodar Rajanarsimha.

Another Congress leader Ch Srinivas Reddy provided flight tickets for Delhi who is the son of senior Congress leader Ch Mutyam Reddy. He also said that Congress leader K K Mahender Reddy was filing cases in fictitious names or in the name of the dead.

Harish Rao said that earlier the Congress leaders filed cases stating that there were no permissions but now they were filing cases demanding cancellation of permissions. The minister said that the state government has written to the Centre for national project status to Kaleshwaram. He said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao wrote to the Prime Minister on June 7, wrote to Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati on July 12.

The minister said that the government took up reengineering of the project because there was no availability of water at Tummidihatti. He quoted the Central Water Commission (CWC) letter dated March 4, 2015 specifying non-availability of water at Tummidihatti.

Responding to the allegations of increasing the capacity of reservoirs, Rao said that keeping in mind the future needs, the government increased the capacities of the reservoirs. Regarding the cost escalation of the project, Harish Rao said that when Congress government took up the project the cost was Rs 17,875 crore and was aimed at completing it in four years. Later, within 19 months the project cost was increased two-and-a-half times and made as Rs 38,500 crore.

Rao said that because of constructing three barrages on Kaleshwaram and the land acquisition, the project cost had increased. Rao said that Congress government spent Rs 3,234 crore on the project and out of this Rs 2,000 crore was given as mobilisation advance and works were worth Rs 1,200 crore.

In the year 2014, they spent Rs 5,282 crore out of which Rs 2,328 crore was mobilisation advance and work done was worth Rs 2,954 crore. If the works are done at this speed, it would take 100 years for the project to get completed.

Those present at the news conference included Mission Bhagiratha vice-chairman and MLA V Prashanth Reddy and legislator A Jeevan Reddy.