Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said the state government will make all arrangements needed for BRS leaders visiting Medigadda on March 1 for a visit to the damaged key barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme.
He said it was extremely foolish and arrogant for BRS leaders to talk about a ‘Chalo Medigadda’ programme calling it a 'political gimmick', but added that the Congress government welcomes the visit. Only, it is being led by K.T. Rama Rao who said he was neither the irrigation minister during the BRS rule, nor was he in the loop over irrigation matters. Instead, former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao who also held the irrigation portfolio in his second term should go to Medigadda.
“KCR, who said he was the chief designer, chief engineer, chief planner of Kaleshwaram should go, as should other BRS leaders. Then after seeing the destruction they wrought on the state and people of Telangana by spending a lakh crores on the project, should feel ashamed and publicly apologise to the people for what they did,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said at a press conference.
When K. Chandrashekhar Rao came for Assembly elections campaigning and till October 21 when Medigadda sank, he talked about how Nagarjunasagar should have been built somewhere else. Once Medigadda collapsed, he stopped talking about irrigation, Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
On Rama Rao’s demand for building a cofferdam at Medigadda, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the government will not take advice from those who built a project that did not even stand for three years. “We have asked the NDSA for a full investigation, report and the way forward and it is NDSA’s guidance and advice the government will follow,” he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy recalled that the Congress government and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy invited Chandrashekhar Rao to the Assembly to speak on the Kaleshwaram project. "We even offered to arrange a helicopter for KCR to visit Kaleshwaram, but he is not coming out," he said.
On the report from the Vigilance & Enforcement Wing, he said a final report will be submitted soon, and based on it, and as per law, we will file cases against whoever is guilty.
