`Costly blunder’: Uttam Reddy lambasts previous BRS government for shifting PRLIS intake from Jurala to Srisailam

Hyderabad: Telangana Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has accused the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of committing a costly blunder by shifting the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) intake from Jurala to Srisailam.

Uttam also said that the move severely weakened Telangana’s water rights and escalated project costs.

Addressing Congress MLAs, MLCs, and Cabinet colleagues through a detailed PowerPoint presentation, in the presence of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the session was aimed at equipping party legislators with facts ahead of key Assembly debates on river water sharing and irrigation priorities.

‘Severe neglect’ of irrigation projects under BRS

The minister alleged that the previous BRS regime, led by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, systematically neglected critical irrigation projects and adopted policies that compromised Telangana’s long-term interests.

“The decision to relocate PRLIS from Jurala was not a mere technical error; it was a deliberate move that undermined Telangana’s future,” said Uttam Kumar Reddy.

He also asserted that the original Jurala-based plan would have ensured better water security for drought-prone South Telangana.

‘90% completion’ claim a ‘Cruel Myth’

Dismissing BRS claims that PRLIS was 90 per cent complete, Uttam Kumar Reddy termed the assertion a “cruel deception”.

He said PRLIS was initiated through a government order on June 10, 2015, with an estimated cost of ₹35,000 crore. However, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted to the Central Water Commission in September 2022 escalated the cost to ₹55,000 crore, excluding land acquisition and the ayacut canal network.

“To fully complete and operationalise PRLIS with canals and distributors, the project would require over ₹80,000 crore,” he said, adding that the BRS government spent only about ₹27,000 crore during its tenure. In contrast, the present Congress government has invested nearly ₹7,000 crore in the last two years alone.

He also countered allegations by KCR and former minister T. Harish Rao that Congress had ignored the project, noting that the foundational government order for PRLIS was issued by the Congress-led government in undivided Andhra Pradesh in August 2013.

Core blunder: Shifting PRLIS from Jurala to Srisailam

Calling the relocation of the PRLIS intake a “major blunder with far-reaching consequences,” the minister said the original Jurala proposal would have enjoyed priority status as an “old project” before water tribunals.

“Had PRLIS remained at Jurala, it would have been treated as an existing project, not a fresh one subject to delays and fresh scrutiny,” he said, referring to tribunal-accepted provisions under GO 34 that allowed both online and offline storage from Jurala drawals.

Hydrological advantages lost

Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted that Jurala offers access to around 70 TMC of flood water, with average flows of one lakh cusecs for nearly 28 days during flood seasons. As the first project on the Krishna main stream, Jurala benefits from Western Ghats catchments, ensuring dependable water availability.

“By shifting to Srisailam, Mahabubnagar and surrounding regions have been pushed to the tail end, dependent on upstream releases that may not always come,” he warned.

Cost escalation and economic impact

The minister said the relocation triggered massive cost escalation, drawing parallels with the Kaleshwaram project. He alleged that for just two additional TMC under Kaleshwaram, works worth ₹20,000 crore were tendered, involving multiple tunnels.

In contrast, PRLIS capacity was capped at one TMC to accommodate Andhra Pradesh’s Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme, effectively sacrificing Telangana’s potential. “This compromise cost us dearly, both financially and agriculturally,” he said, pointing to prolonged distress in drought-hit regions.

‘Telangana interests sacrificed’ for Andhra Pradesh

Accusing the BRS of undue accommodation of Andhra Pradesh, Uttam Kumar Reddy said limiting PRLIS to one TMC was done to facilitate Rayalaseema projects, sidelining Telangana’s rightful share.

He reiterated Telangana’s demand for 763 TMC out of the total 1,050 TMC in the Krishna basin and stressed that the state’s arguments before the tribunal were “legally strong and fact-based”.

Tribunal verdict awaited

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the verdict of the Brijesh Kumar Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-2) is expected in about eight months. Expressing confidence, he said Section 3 of the Interstate Water Disputes Act remained Telangana’s key legal strength.

“Justice will be done. Telangana’s water rights cannot be compromised,” he asserted.