KTR at Medigadda: Fix barrage before monsoon, punish those responsible for damages

Bhupalpally: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KT Rama Rao urged the Congress government to fix the Medigadda Lakshmi Barrage by taking advice and suggestions from experts and making it functional before the monsoon begins.

KTR, accompanied by MLAs T Harish Rao, Kadiyam Srihari, Gangula Kamalakar, Ch Malla Reddy, Vemula Prashanth Reddy and other senior leaders inspected the sagging of pillars of Medigadda Lakshmi Barrage on Friday to verify the Telangana Congress government’s allegations against the damage done to Medigadda and Annaram barrages, part of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project.

‘Mistakes happened during Congress regime too’

Speaking to the media after examining the damaged piers of the Medigadda barrage, KTR said that Congress leaders are promoting a ‘Goebbels-type campaign’ against the Kaleshwaram project. The Medigadda barrage has a problem with 50 metres in its 1.6-km stretch.

“It is not correct for Congress to speak as if such things never happened under their rule. Built during the Congress regime, the Kadem and Gundlavagu projects were washed away twice. Leakages also occurred in the Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam projects but we chose not to politicise the issues,” he said.

‘Congress delaying repair on purpose’

The BRS working president also found fault with the Congress government for creating a hue and cry over the minor damage in Medigadda Lakshmi Barrage and for ‘intentionally delaying’ the repair works.

“How can the Congress government campaign that the Kaleshwaram project is just the Medigadda barrage? Kaleshwaram is made up of three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 21 pumping stations, 273 km of tunnels and 1,500 km of canals. There is an urgent need to tell the farmers who are going to benefit from the Kaleshwaram project, the largest lift irrigation project in the world,” KTR said.

‘Take action against those behind damages’

“It is not at all correct to slander that lakhs of crores have been washed away and term Kaleshwaram as a failed project. Experts also said that the Medigadda can be repaired. We are appealing to the government to form a committee with officials and experts. Corrective measures should be taken in Medigadda to bring it to a safe state before floods occur. Action should be taken against those responsible in the case of Medigadda,” KTR said.

The BRS working president also said that in the absence of water supply, crops have already dried up in Karimnagar and other districts. He said that the BRS would fight as the main opposition on behalf of the people of the state and demanded that the repairs should be completed before the rainy season and that water should be given to the farmers.