Hyderabad: BRS MLA T Harish Rao on Sunday accused the Congress govt of criminal negligence in handling the state’s irrigation systems during the ongoing floods. On the other hand, BRS working president KT Rama Rao has demanded that the govt immediately give clarity to the public, especially farmers, on the proposed ‘Future City’.Addressing a media conference in Siddipet, Harish Rao, who also served as irrigation minister during the previous BRS govt, alleged that the state failed to operate the Kaleshwaram project pumps and store floodwater in reservoirs, accusing the Congress govt of prioritising politics over farmers’ welfare. The Congress govt, blinded by political vendetta, has completely neglected floodwater management, letting Krishna and Godavari river water flow into the sea while major reservoirs lie empty, he added.He questioned why the govt was not making use of the floodwater even though Sripada Yellampalli was receiving 62,000 cusecs and Kadem project over 1.5 lakh cusecs of water due to heavy rain. This water could easily be diverted to fill reservoirs like Mid Manair, Annapurna, Ranganayakasagar, Mallannasagar, Kondapochamma and Baswapur, which were either dry or severely under-filled.Harish Rao demanded that all seven motors at Yellampalli project be run continuously to bring at least two thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water per day into Mid Manair. “The Congress govt is deliberately keeping the motors off to protect its false narrative that the Kaleshwaram project has failed. You say the project collapsed, but is that the reason you are letting water go to waste, just to prove your lie as truth?” he asked.Meanwhile, BRS working president KT Rama Rao has said the so-called ‘Future City’, repeatedly mentioned by CM Revanth Reddy, has no future and criticised the Cong govt for scrapping the Pharma City project, initiated by the previous KCR govt, and replacing it with an imaginary ‘Future City’.KTR alleged that even though the previous govt had started developing infrastructure with crores of rupees of public money for the Pharma City project, Revanth Reddy’s govt has sidelined it and was now trying to illegally divert the land for real estate under the name of ‘Future City’. He warned that the govt’s actions were against public interest and would cause harm to the people, especially the farmers.KTR demanded that the govt immediately respond and provide clarity to the public and farmers. He also made it clear that if the govt fails to do so, BRS would fight on behalf of the farmers.
