He explained that they are waiting for a report from the NDSA, and once received, they will promptly start the repair and restoration efforts.
Published Mar 01, 2024 | 10:43 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 01, 2024 | 10:43 PM
Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy during media interaction. (Supplied)
Telangana’s Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday, 1 March, said Congress government is not intentionally delaying the restoration of the Medigadda barrage.
The minister was interacting with the media as part of the media chit-chat at the Dr BR Ambedkar Secretariat in Hyderabad
He explained that they are waiting for a report from the NDSA (National Dam Safety Authority), and once received, they will promptly start the restoration efforts.
The minister stated, “We are aware of the condition of the barrage and will not delay until the monsoon arrives. The pending works will be completed before that.”
Uttam Kumar also stated that the government has requested the NDSA to provide the report within one month.
The minister plans to visit the Ministry of Water Resources in Delhi on Saturday, 2 March to expedite the process.
Uttam Kumar stated that the Congress government welcomes the expert committee’s report prepared by former CWC (Central Water Commission) chairman Chandrashekar Iyer on the Medigadda barrage leakage.
Emphasising the party’s trust in the Central’s National Dam Safety Authority team, and acknowledging the authority as a constitutional body, the government has requested their inspection of the Medigadda, Annavaram, and Sundilla barrages to guide the future course of action.
According to the minister, the preliminary report from the state vigilance department highlighted significant flaws in the design, planning, and completion of certificates.
Hitting out at the Opposition BRS, the minister attributed the faults in Medigadda to the then government’s focus on commissions rather than public welfare.
He further said that the essential documents such as sectional drawings of the Medigadda structure and quality control reports were missing.
“The Congress government is only accountable for actions taken after 7 December 2023,” the minister claimed.
Uttam Kumar, criticising the former Chief Minister KCR, said that he had allegedly neglected issues concerning the Medigadda barrage from 21 October 2023, until the end of the election.
In a recent public meeting in Nalgonda, KCR referred to the Congress’s Medigadda visit as akin to a visit to the graveyard.
Referring to the BRS party leaders’ visit to the Medigadda barrage on Friday, the minister urged them to conduct a thorough inspection and apologize to the people of Telangana for any damage caused during their tenure.
When South First asked Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy about the previous government trying to reorganize the irrigation department, he responded that they are in the process of accommodating all the minor, medium, and major irrigation projects under one umbrella organisation.
The major projects include Nagarjuna Sagar, Nizam Sagar, and Sriram Sagar which irrigate more than one lakh acres of land. The projects under the medium category are those that irrigate lands under 50,000 acres.
The minor category includes irrigation tankers in the villages for the farms.
The minister also stated that the Congress government has stopped a pending payment of ₹400 crore to L&T— the company that executed the Medigadda project.
Responding to the BRS claim that there were no sufficient water reserves at Tummidihatti Barrage, Union Water Resources officials said that there was 160 tmcft at Tummadihatti Barrage.
Uttam Kumar claimed that water could be provided to over 16 lakh acres if the then government had taken the initiative to spend funds for the project at Tummidihatti.
The minister further questioned how the previous state government could secure huge loans of ₹1 lakh crore with the help of the Centre.
He blamed the Union government for giving funds though they knew what the state government was doing.
Responding to queries asked on the excess amount spent under the Kaleshwaram project, the minister said that they have no option but to pay back the excessive amount to the central government as they are in power now.
