BRS Rule Responsible For Telangana’s Debt Burden, Says Kiran Kumar Reddy

Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy hit back at BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) over his criticism of the Jurala project, blaming the previous BRS government for the financial and operational problems confronting Telangana’s power sector.

Kiran Kumar Reddy alleged that the condition of Singareni Collieries had deteriorated during the BRS regime between 2014 and 2023. He claimed that no new mines were opened during the period and that 18 mines were subsequently closed after their mineral reserves were exhausted.

He also alleged that some coal blocks that could have been allocated to Singareni were instead put up for auction to private companies. According to him, Singareni’s dues to the state power distribution companies had risen to around Rs 35,000 crore, contributing to the financial stress faced by the discoms.

The Congress MP further alleged that Telangana, which had a surplus position at the time of its formation, had accumulated around Rs 8 lakh crore in debt under the BRS government. He accused the previous administration of giving greater priority to the interests of family members, close associates and political supporters than to public welfare.

Kiran Kumar Reddy said the Congress government had moved ahead with pending power projects after coming to power, including projects that had remained stalled due to cases before the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

KTR had earlier questioned the government's handling of the Jurala project, claiming that around 8.4 to 9 TMC of water was available but was not being released to irrigate crops in the ayacut. He had urged the government to release water immediately, citing concerns over crops drying up.

Subsequent reports said the Telangana government released water from Jurala on September 23 to protect standing crops. Karnataka also reportedly agreed to release around three TMC of Krishna water in phases through the Narayanpur reservoir.

The exchange between the two leaders comes amid continuing concerns over irrigation supplies, the financial health of Telangana's power sector and the management of water resources during the current agricultural season.