Medigadda barrage hullaballoo mud-slinging by Oppn: Harish Rao

Hyderabad: Finance Minister T. Harish Rao on Monday dismissed concerns over the functionality of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) project, after pillars at the Medigadda barrage sank over the past fortnight.

“Opposition parties, desperate, as they have no public issue to raise and go to voters or to try and take on the government, are slinging mud at the Telangana government,” he said.

The minister also alleviated concerns over water availability for the upcoming rabi (‘Ysangi’) season. “Farmers can rest assured of irrigation. There is more than 20 TMC ft of water in Mallannasagar, around 25 TMC ft in Mid Manair, more than 10 TMC ft in Konda Pochamma reservoir, and around 3 TMC ft each in Ranganayakasagar and Anantagiri reservoirs,” he said.

“Meanwhile, in a couple of months or so, the Medigadda barrage will be restored and contracting agency L&T has said it will take up the work at no cost to the state exchequer. The project should be back on stream after that and farmers have no cause for worry,” he said.

He also said that Opposition parties raised similar bogeys when water entered two pumphouses during the record-breaking 28 lakh cusecs flood two years ago. Those were repaired by the contracting agency at its cost, as per the conditions, and the same will be done for Medigadda, he said.

“Since Opposition parties cannot take on the government on issues, such as drinking water, power supply, irrigation, roads or other infrastructure-related ones, they are raising a bogey of corruption, slinging mud at the government hoping something will stick and translate into political gains,” he said.

“Rahul Gandhi,” he said, adding “claims there is Rs 1 lakh crore corruption on a project, on which Rs 80,000 crore was spent… Such claims have no merit.”

On the National Dam Safety Authority’s negative report on the Medigadda barrage situation, Harish Rao said: “We believe it is politically motivated. The team could not conduct a full inspection of the affected portion and without having inspected properly, issued its report in five days. And every report they asked for was provided to them. With the Prime Minister coming tomorrow, they want to make this an issue.”

“Kaleshwaram,” he said, is not just one barrage. It is a mega project with three barrages, 22 pumphouses, 19 reservoirs, 203 km of underground tunnels, 1500 km of gravity canals, 98 km of pressure pump mains and a few 400KV substations. It is very unfortunate that a couple of pillars have problems, but how can they say that the whole project is gone?” he said.