Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy Challenges KCR to Assembly Debate on Kaleshwaram Failures

On Monday, Telangana Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy challenged former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to attend a state legislative assembly session to explain the failures and component collapses of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. Speaking at an official programme in Mulugu mandal of Siddipet district, the minister declared that the Congress-led government is prepared to convene a special assembly session to publicly debate the project.

The challenge was issued during a public event where Minister Ponguleti, alongside Labour Minister G Vivek Venkataswamy and Dubbak MLA Kotha Prabhakar Reddy, distributed sanction letters for the second phase of the Indiramma Houses scheme. The leaders also handed over title deeds for double-bedroom houses to local beneficiaries in the region.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Ponguleti criticized the former Chief Minister for previously promoting the Kaleshwaram project as the "eighth wonder" of the world. He demanded that the opposition leader explain to the citizens of Telangana why key components of the multi-crore project had failed.

Specifically, the minister questioned whether thousands of crores of public money had been lost in the Godavari River due to the structural collapse of components at the Medigadda and other barrages.

"The Congress government is ready to convene a special session of the assembly to discuss and debate the Kaleshwaram issue if KCR suggests a date and time," Ponguleti said. He added that if the former Chief Minister genuinely wished to offer suggestions for the public good, the assembly was ready for an open discussion on all issues.

During the event, both Ponguleti and Vivek criticized Bharat Rashtra Samithi leaders for attempting to smear the current government through what they described as false propaganda regarding the irrigation project. Ponguleti alleged that despite numerous baseless allegations against the administration, the public continues to reject the opposition's narrative.