Mon Mar 03 22:29:00 UTC 2025: ## Telangana Minister Blames Congress for Srisailam Tunnel Collapse, Death Toll Rises to Eight
**Hyderabad, March 4, 2025** – A political blame game has erupted in Telangana following the collapse of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel, resulting in the death of eight workers. BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao accused the Congress-led state government of negligence, claiming the accident was avoidable and resulted from resuming work without proper precautions.
Rama Rao refuted Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s assertion that the previous BRS government had only excavated 2-3 km of the tunnel. He stated that the BRS government had completed 12 km of excavation, while the Congress government, which took office in December 2023, had only resumed work on February 18, 2025, and is responsible for the accident that occured on February 22nd, four days later. He further highlighted that the BRS government had invested ₹3,900 crore in the project, compared to ₹3,300 crore spent by the previous Congress government.
The 43.94 km tunnel had seen 22.89 km excavated between 2005-2014 under the Congress government. Rama Rao drew a comparison with the Kaleshwaram project’s 203 km of tunnels, stating that no such accidents occurred there.
Meanwhile, other BRS leaders also addressed accusations. T. Harish Rao clarified his recent foreign trip, stating it was for a friend’s wedding, not a leisure trip, and that he left Hyderabad before the accident. G. Jagadish Reddy stated that victims’ families received ₹1 crore in compensation and a government job each.
The Telangana High Court has reportedly disposed of a PIL concerning rescue operations at the tunnel. The Army’s Engineer Task Force continues rescue operations at the site.
First Piper 