Etala Raps KCR for Lying' on KLIS Finances, Pending Teacher Salaries

Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Etala Rajendar on Tuesday accused Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar of deliberately lying about the finances involved in the Kaleshwaram project, in a speech on Monday.

“KCR claimed that the money invested in the project has been earned back. As per government data itself, so far, 155TMC ft of water was lifted through the project and this water used for irrigation should have resulted in crops worth Rs 600 crore. One TMC ft of water can irrigate a maximum of 10,000 acres. There is no truth in his claim that the investment on the project has been earned back,” he said.

Rajendar said the government was warned from the start that it would be an expensive irrigation system and that fixed charges for power required for running the pumps, whether they are used or not, would amount to Rs 3,500 crore. “This project is a burden for Telangana and generations after us will still be paying for KCR’s profligacy,” he said.

He also demanded the state government ensure job security for the 15,794 guest lecturers and teachers, who have been protesting the non-payment of salaries for several months now.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with some of the lecturers, who were arrested by the police during their protest on Tuesday, Rajendar said most of them do not receive salaries for almost six months in a year. He said that the government must ensure payment of 12 months’ salaries and ensure they continue in their jobs, as per High Court orders.

“The Chief Minister promised in the Legislative Assembly that guest lecturers would be given weightage in teacher recruitments, but did not keep his promise. KCR does not keep any of his promises on jobs. On the other hand, he removes people from their jobs as was the case with 1,700 municipal workers, who were removed from service,” Rajendar said.