Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday dismissed allegations by BRS leader T. Harish Rao that the pace of rescue work at the SLBC tunnel collapse site in Nagarkurnool district was slow, and directionless.
Hyderabad:Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday dismissed allegations by BRS leader T. Harish Rao that the pace of rescue work at the SLBC tunnel collapse site in Nagarkurnool district was slow, and directionless.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said, “The BRS leaders' visit to the accident site was mere political theatrics. They came here to stage a drama and left after putting on a show."
He said, “There is no need for Harish Rao’s advice on the rescue work. Professionals with expertise 1,000 times higher than him are handling the situation. Does he think he knows more than the top tunnel engineers? Is he trying to insult the Indian Army, Navy commandos, BRO teams and other experts who are risking their lives in this rescue?”
He said, “This is an extremely challenging operation, and the best experts in the field are involved. They are working selflessly, risking their own lives to complete this rescue.
Eleven top agencies specialising in tunnel disasters are leading the operation, working with unmatched coordination and expertise.” He said restrictions were placed on entry of all non-essential personnel at the tunnel site to ensure rescuers and workers can do their assigned tasks with focus and without any interference.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said Harish Rao should instead of criticism, look within and accidents during the previous BRS regime and “stop giving lectures to the government.”
He said, “When there was a fire in the Srisailam Left Bank Power House, nine workers lost their lives, but no BRS leader visited the site. And when Revanth Reddy tried to visit the victims, he was arrested and taken to a police station. Similarly, in the Devadula project, where seven workers died, their remains were recovered only after five years. Why has Harish Rao never spoken about these incidents? Is it because they happened during the BRS regime?”
It is the BRS government that is responsible for the SLBC tunnel accident, as it was neglected for a decade. It abandoned the work. “Had the project finished on time, it would have provided 30 TMC of water to Telangana, benefiting three to four lakh acres of agricultural land in Nalgonda,” he said.
On Harish Rao’s comments that he flies in and out in helicopters, Uttam Kumar Reddy hit back saying “unlike leaders in the previous government, we are not sitting in farmhouses or looting public money. I am a pilot. I have flown several fighter jets. I do not fly helicopters for luxury like BRS leaders. He reiterated that the rescue operation is being conducted with full dedication, and after the workers are safely rescued, the government will ensure that tunnel works resume in the next two-three months and are completed within the stipulated time.
