‘KCR must face the Assembly’: TPCC demands answers on Palamuru Project

Hyderabad: Senior leaders of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) have intensified their attack on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), demanding that former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) attend the upcoming Assembly sessions to address alleged ‘monumental failures’ and ‘deep-rooted corruption’ in the state’s irrigation sector.

‘KCR must face the Assembly’

Speaking at Gandhi Bhavan, TPCC general secretary Chanagani Dayakar issued a direct challenge to the BRS supremo.

“KCR ruled for ten years but is now evading accountability by staying away from the House. We demand he attend the Assembly to discuss Krishna River water rights and explain why the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) remains incomplete,” Dayakar stated. He alleged that KCR is ‘running away’ to avoid being exposed by the government’s documented evidence on water mismanagement.

Demands for a judicial inquiry

Adding weight to the offensive, Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy called for a comprehensive judicial inquiry into the PRLIS, drawing parallels to the ongoing investigation into the Kaleshwaram project.

“The public has a right to know the ‘hidden truths’ behind these massive infrastructure works,” the MP asserted. He alleged that the project was redesigned not for technical feasibility, but to facilitate ‘commissions’ for the previous regime.

He specifically pointed out that shifting the project source from Jurala was a calculated move to benefit preferred contractors, mirroring the controversial shift from Tummidihatti to Medigadda in the Kaleshwaram project.

Key allegations and financial discrepancies

The Congress leaders highlighted several points regarding the previous administration’s handling of irrigation:

1. Budgetary neglect: Out of a massive 17 lakh crore budget over a decade, only 1.83 lakh crores were allocated to irrigation projects, which leaders claim is a pittance given the state’s needs.

2. Misleading the courts: MP Chamala Kiran accused the BRS of misleading the Supreme Court by presenting the PRLIS primarily as a drinking water project (for 7 TMCs) to bypass environmental hurdles, while the actual focus remained on large-scale construction contracts.

3. DPR delays: Questions were raised as to why it took seven years for the previous government to even obtain a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Palamuru project.

‘Redesigning for looting’

Chanagani Dayakar further alleged that KCR’s administration showed more ‘love’ for Kaleshwaram than for the Palamuru project because the former offered more opportunities for ‘looting through redesigning.’

He also took a sharp swipe at T Harish Rao, accusing him of wasting the Assembly’s time with ‘lies’ and misleading statements. “Does everyone not know who mortgaged Telangana’s self-respect for the sake of fish curry?” Dayakar remarked, referring to past political controversies.

‘Committed to rectifying historic injustices’

The Congress leaders concluded by affirming that the present government is committed to rectifying these ‘historic injustices.’ The government aims to complete the Palamuru-Rangareddy project to provide irrigation and drinking water to 1,226 villages and 12 lakh acres across South Telangana.

This demand for a probe comes just as the State government prepared a detailed PowerPoint presentation to ‘expose’ the BRS’s irrigation policies ahead of the Winter Session’s resumption on January 2.