Revanth Reddy Dismisses BRS Demand to Run Kannepally Pump House

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday dismissed the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s (BRS) demands to operate the Kannepally pump house of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. Speaking at a meeting held at Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad, Reddy defended the state government's decision to keep the pumps inactive, citing a severe lack of rainfall and floodwaters in the River Godavari due to the El Niño effect.

The meeting featured a detailed presentation on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme delivered by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy to approximately 200 elected representatives from the Congress party. During the session, the Chief Minister explained that the current environmental conditions made it impossible to run the pumps.

"Due to the El Niño effect, there were no rains and no floodwaters. How can water be lifted to the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages?" Reddy asked. He added that the Kaleshwaram project was originally designed to lift nearly two tmcft of floodwater daily from the Godavari River to store for irrigation, but the current inflows are inadequate.

Reddy accused the BRS of misleading farmers in north Telangana by claiming that water could be lifted from the Medigadda barrage despite the lack of inflows. He reiterated that the state government remains committed to repairing and restoring the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages to operational status once feasible.

Addressing the political debate, the Chief Minister challenged BRS president K Chandrashekhar Rao to formally present his views and suggest remedial measures for the irrigation project. Reddy stated that if Rao writes to the Speaker, the government will convene a joint session of the Assembly and the Council, inviting experts to discuss how the repairs should be carried out.

Additionally, Reddy expressed dissatisfaction with Congress legislators for their weak political messaging. He questioned why they were not boldly responding to the opposition's narrative, pointing out that the Congress government is actively implementing several welfare and development programmes that are not being adequately highlighted by its representatives.