Thu Jan 01 17:16:21 UTC 2026: News Article:

Reddy Accuses Previous Government of Water Project Mismanagement, Challenges Rao to Assembly Debate

Hyderabad, India – January 1, 2026 – Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy today launched a scathing critique of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s handling of river water sharing agreements, alleging serious errors and deliberate attempts to conceal them. Speaking to party MPs, MLAs, and MLCs ahead of Assembly discussions on the issue, Reddy challenged former Chief Minister and BRS chief Chandrashekhar Rao to a debate in the Assembly, assuring him due respect.

Reddy accused the previous administration of failing to secure State Cabinet approval for shifting the water source of the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) from Jurala to Srisailam. He alleged that this decision, motivated by potential commissions, led to significant cost escalations, increasing project stages and pump requirements, and inflating estimates from ₹32,000 crore to ₹84,000 crore.

According to Reddy, this change hampered Telangana’s water utilization while benefiting Andhra Pradesh, which he says now lifts a much higher quantity of water every day as a result. He further claimed that the BRS government secured approvals for only 7.15 tmcft of water utilization through the PRLIS, deceptively claiming it was for drinking water needs. The current Congress government, in contrast, is seeking approval for 45 tmcft.

Reddy also criticized KCR for allegedly conceding a disproportionate share of Krishna River waters to Andhra Pradesh in post-bifurcation agreements, effectively granting permanent rights to the neighboring state. He stated that the current Telangana government is advocating for a fairer 79:21 sharing ratio based on catchment area, demanding a total allocation of 555 TMC ft.

Dismissing BRS’s criticisms, Reddy defended the appointment of retired bureaucrat Adityanath Das as a government advisor, highlighting Das’s extensive knowledge of Telangana’s water projects. He accused KCR of trying to gain political mileage by creating a controversy over river water sharing issue.

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