Hyderabad: Former minister T. Harish Rao demanded the state govt to restart works of Sangameshwara and Basaveshwara irrigation projects and complete them criticising the Congress govt for neglecting irrigation projects in the erstwhile Medak district.He asked the govt to complete the Ghanapuram anicut height-raising works without further delay and resume and complete the Kaleshwaram canal works from Mallanna Sagar to Narsapur and Andole. Harish Rao also demanded the govt to release funds immediately for land acquisition for pending irrigation projects and complete the stalled tunnel and distributary canal works and ensure water reaches the farmers who are waiting for it.Harish Rao inspected the stalled Mallanna Sagar to Naesapur Kaleshwaram canal works along with Narsapur MLA Sunitha Lakshma Reddy on Thursday. He pointed to the thorny bushes that have grown in the abandoned canal and challenged CM Revanth Reddy to come and see the ground reality for himself.He said the contrast between the KCR govt, which worked to make Telangana green and prosperous, and the present Congress govt, under which irrigation works have been left to decay, could not be clearer.“Under KCR govt, a clear plan was prepared to bring water from Mallanna Sagar to Narsapur, Andole and Sangareddy constituencies under Packages 18 and 19. The idea was to take Godavari water through a small lift and fill Singur, transforming this entire region into a fertile agricultural belt. But after Congress came to power, these works were simply put on hold,” the BRS deputy leader said.Around 85% of the 18-km tunnel from Mallanna Sagar to Narsapur had already been completed under the BRS government. Only about 300 metres remained. If this small stretch had been completed, water could have reached the Haldi stream and eventually the Nizam Sagar system, benefiting farmers across Medak and Nizamabad districts, Harish Rao said.But the Congress govt has failed to complete even this remaining work, he said. The CM recently visited Sangareddy and gave plenty of advice but did not even speak about the irrigation projects that have been stalled across the district. Why does the Revanth Reddy govt have such a step-motherly attitude towards erstwhile Medak district?“The Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma Sagar and Ranganayaka Sagar projects are largely ready, but the govt has not provided even the ₹50 crore required to complete the distributary canals. With that money, water could reach nearly 50,000 acres,” he said.The BRS leader said the state govt has also abandoned the Basaveshwara and Sangameshwara projects, which were planned to provide irrigation to around five lakh acres across Narayankhed, Zaheerabad, Andole, Sangareddy and Patancheru constituencies.The height-raising works of Ghanapuram Anicut, taken up with funds sanctioned during the KCR govt, have also been stopped.KCR built Telangana like a carefully constructed home and handed it over. Revanth Reddy is proving that he cannot even maintain what he inherited.In these nearly 1,000 days of Congress rule, the govt has failed to take forward even basic canal works in the erstwhile Medak district and has not given the required funds to complete these critical irrigation projects.“The thorny bushes growing in these abandoned canals are living proof of the Congress govt’s failure. I am taking this selfie from the spot and tagging the CM. At least now, open your eyes, look at your own failures and restart these stalled irrigation works immediately,” Harish Rao said.ends/
