BRS Slams Congress Over Palamuru Irrigation Project Delays

The Congress party has caused damage to Palamuru that would take a thousand years to repair, former minister and BRS leader Singireddy Niranjan Reddy alleged, accusing successive Congress governments of neglecting irrigation projects and betraying generations of farmers. He maintained that Palamuru witnessed significant agricultural progress only under former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) and alleged that farmers were now struggling to secure irrigation water and electricity under the Revanth Reddy government.

Speaking at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Niranjan Reddy said projects such as Upper Krishna, Bhima, RDS and Tungabhadra High Level Canal could have provided gravity-based irrigation to nearly 20 lakh acres as early as the 1960s. However, Congress governments failed to utilise this potential, he alleged. He said the previous BRS government had taken up the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme with an investment of Rs 35,000 crore, but the present government stalled its progress by cancelling canal tenders.

Accusing the government of failing farmers despite water availability, he claimed that 9 TMC of water in Jurala was not being properly utilised. He also pointed out that 245 TMC of water had flowed downstream this year. Operating lift irrigation pumps over the previous 45 days could have helped fill the Narlapur, Edula and Vattem reservoirs, he said, alleging that the government had not even written to Karnataka seeking additional water.

He claimed that crops had dried up across 24.40 lakh acres, with the actual affected area potentially reaching 30 lakh acres, and demanded immediate compensation. Recalling the BRS government's assistance, he said farmers had received Rs 10,000 per acre during KCR's tenure.

Niranjan Reddy also questioned the government's silence on compensation, Rabi season Rythu Bharosa and Rythu Bima, whose coverage ended on August 14. He accused the administration of ignoring advance warnings about El Niño and failing to implement suggestions made at an all-party meeting.

Questioning the outcome of Revanth Reddy's Kodangal visit, he said the irrigation project could benefit 10–15 lakh acres and generate employment for another 15 lakh people. He also criticised the government over unfulfilled promises, including Kalyana Lakshmi, one tola of gold, scooters and student assistance. He alleged that the promised Rs 1,000 crore for Osmania University remained unreleased.