Hyderabad: Irrigation and civil supplies minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday asserted that the Congress Government would not spare anyone found guilty of corruption or misusing public funds.
During the short discussion on 'Telangana State Finances — White Paper' in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Uttam Kumar Reddy provided a concise overview of the dire situation in the civil supplies department and the status of irrigation projects in the state.
ccusing the previous BRS regime of causing substantial losses and plunging the Civil Supplies Corporation into a massive debt trap, Uttam Kumar Reddy revealed that the corporation has accumulated debts exceeding Rs 56,000 crore and incurred losses of over Rs 11,000 crores due to the negligence of the previous government.
He emphasised that bad debts have burdened the corporation with an annual interest of over Rs 3,000 crores. Approximately, 95 lakh metric tonnes of paddy worth Rs 22,000 crore, belonging to the corporation, lies with millers without adequate security or bank guarantees.
Additionally, he alleged that 70-75 per cent of the rice supplied to ration card holders, costing Rs 39 per kg, was either inedible or diverted for misuse due to poor quality. He attributed the present condition to systematic deficiencies left by the previous regime.
Turning to the irrigation department, Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the state government would conduct an inquiry into the collapse of the Medigadda barrage and ensure punishment for those responsible.
Despite significant spending, borrowed at high interest, on these projects, he declared that new ayacut was negligible.
He highlighted that despite investing around Rs 1 lakh crore in the Kaleshwaram project, the newly created ayacut is just about 1.5 lakh acres, with zero acre ayacut for Palamuru Rangareddy after spending Rs 25,000 crores and zero acre ayacut for Sitarama Sagar after spending Rs 7,500 crores.
Regarding the Medigadda incident, he attributed it to criminal negligence, stating that the poorly designed and built barrage collapsed on October 21, while the BRS was in power.
He criticised the lack of response and rectification steps from the then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao. Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised the poor design and construction, noting it as the first instance of a barrage collapsing in independent India after substantial spending.
He recounted a peer in block no. 7 collapsed suddenly, sinking about five feet, on October 21, without a serious investigation. L&T claimed faulty design and lack of geological checks, prompting an ongoing investigation into the longevity of the entire block 7 of Medigadda.
Addressing BRS MLA and former minister Harish Rao in the House, Uttam Kumar Reddy highlighted the cracks in the Annanram and Sundella projects, emphasising the need for repairs.
He criticised the ad hoc decisions of the previous government, expressing concern over the lack of accountability and record-keeping. He vowed to conduct a thorough inquiry into all aspects and take stern action.
Earlier, Uttam Kumar Reddy intervened during BRS MLA Harish Rao's speech to clarify the issue of meters for farm connections. He, as a member of the parliamentary panel on energy, refuted claims of bill collection from farmers through the proposed meters, accusing BRS of misleading farmers on the matter.
