White Paper says BRS Govt Left Irrigation Sector Crumbling

Hyderabad: The Telangana state government on Saturday declared that harsh punishment was in the offing for everyone, irrespective of their standing or stature, for their role in leading Telangana’s irrigation sector into a disastrous situation, and participating in this process. What the then BRS government had done during its nearly ten-year rule of the state, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, left a “permanent curse on the people of Telangana” in the form of the Kaleshwaram project, and ad hoc approach to the irrigation sector that “saw the state pile up loans, bleed the treasury, and did little to nothing to augment irrigation to new ayacut.” Uttam Kumar Reddy said the reckless spending by the BRS government on the irrigation sector on impractical projects, and allowing huge increases in project costs, resulted in the irrigation sector crumbling “due to the damage of the barrages and pumphouses constructed on Godavari River. The state will have to pay an insurmountable debt of `1.35 lakh crore in the next 10 years.” Calling the BRS government’s irrigation policies “destructive,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said these have put “the state under great risk.” “Before the formation of Telangana, in unified Andhra Pradesh, Rs 54,234 crore was spent, but all of this was from state funds. However, after the state's formation, of the Rs 1,87,067 crore spent on irrigation projects by the BRS government,Rs White Paper says BRS Govt Left Irrigation Sector Crumbling84,090 crore were loans,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said. 15 of the Kadem project was washed away and this forced the government to declare a crop holiday in 65,000 acres under the project for this year’s Yasangi crop season.” Winding up the discussion, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government will take suggestions from all parties for moving forward on solving the problems plaguing the irrigation sector and if need be, would lead an all-party delegation to the Centre towards this end.