Niranjan Reddy Slams Centre for Returning PRLIS Detailed Project Report

HYDERABAD — Former Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy on Monday termed the Centre’s decision to return the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) as atrocious. The former minister strongly criticised the central government's decision and blamed the Congress State government for negligence and failure to obtain pending clearances for the irrigation project.

Highlighting the State's allocation, Niranjan Reddy stated that Telangana had already allocated 90 TMCft of Krishna River water from its share for the PRLIS. He demanded that the Centre immediately approve the DPR and urged the State government to assemble and send an all-party delegation to Delhi to pursue the project's approval.

In a statement, Niranjan Reddy accused both the Congress and the BJP of playing a hypocritical drama over the PRLIS. He further alleged that the State government was placing Telangana’s water interests in the hands of Andhra officials. Questioning the Centre's stance, he asked why central authorities had raised issues over the PRLIS while expressing no objections to the Polavaram-Banakacherla project.

The former minister also criticised the State's elected representatives, alleging that eight BJP MPs and eight Congress MPs from Telangana had failed to raise their voice in Parliament regarding the State’s irrigation projects.

Defending the previous administration, Niranjan Reddy asserted that all necessary approvals for PRLIS except hydrology had been secured during the BRS regime. He added that the remaining hydrology issue was currently before the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal-II for consideration.