KTR Challenges Telangana Government Over Kaleshwaram Project During Kannepalli Visit

BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) on Sunday mounted a strong defence of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme and challenged the Congress government over its handling of the project, alleging that political considerations were preventing the optimal use of a critical irrigation asset.

After visiting the Kannepalli Pump House , one of the key components of the Kaleshwaram network, KTR accused the state government of attempting to obstruct the BRS team's visit. He claimed that police personnel stopped their convoy at several locations along the route from Hyderabad to Bhupalpally district, causing significant delays before they eventually reached the project site.

Addressing the media, KTR said the visit was not intended to target the ruling party politically but to highlight the benefits the project had delivered to farmers and the state over the years. He described Kaleshwaram as the outcome of Telangana's long struggle for access to Godavari waters and said the project was conceived to overcome the state's challenging topography, where river waters flow through lower elevations while vast agricultural areas lie at higher levels.

Defending the project's design, KTR said the original proposal at Tummidihatti could not be pursued because Maharashtra had reservations about increasing the structure's height due to potential submergence concerns. According to him, technical experts subsequently recommended the Medigadda location, which became the foundation of the present project.

He said the Kaleshwaram scheme, regarded as one of the world's largest lift irrigation projects, was completed within three-and-a-half years and comprises three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 21 pump houses, substations and more than 1,500 kilometres of canals.

KTR also criticised the government for not expediting repairs to the Medigadda barrage , where structural issues emerged after some piers subsided. He alleged that restoration work, estimated to cost around ₹400 crore, had not progressed despite offers of support from the construction company involved in the project.

The BRS leader further claimed that adequate water was currently available at Kannepalli but that pumping operations had not been activated. He argued that water could still be lifted and supplied to major reservoirs and irrigation systems even without full dependence on the Medigadda barrage. According to him, large volumes of Godavari water were being allowed to flow downstream instead of being utilised for irrigation and drinking water requirements.

Highlighting the broader impact of the project, KTR said Kaleshwaram has been supplying irrigation and drinking water to multiple districts and played a major role in expanding agricultural output across Telangana. He credited the project with helping the state emerge as one of India's leading paddy-producing regions and improving rural livelihoods.

He also alleged that inadequate utilisation of the project by the current government had contributed to growing drinking water concerns in Hyderabad and questioned allegations of large-scale corruption in the project's execution, arguing that such claims were inconsistent with the project's officially reported expenditure.

Reiterating the BRS stand, KTR maintained that Kaleshwaram remains a vital lifeline for Telangana's farmers and called on the government to focus on restoring and fully utilising the infrastructure rather than engaging in political debates over its legacy.