Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday said that nearly half the state’s irrigation officials were involved in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project during the BRS government tenure, and there would be no department left if action were taken against them.
In a clear attack on the previous government, Revanth Reddy said: “Had the decisions taken by politicians not been followed blindly, the current situation would not have arisen,” he said.
The Chief Minister added that till date Rs.1 lakh crore was spent on Kaleshwaram and another Rs.47,000 crore were needed. “But not even one lakh acres of ayacut has been created. Who should be held responsible,” he asked.
Over the last decade, despite Rs.2 lakh crore being spent on irrigation many projects had remained incomplete. “Instead of blaming one another, we should focus on not making mistakes. Water is not just that, it is an emotive issue for Telangana,” the Chief Minister said at an event where appointment orders were issued to 687 recruits selected to be assistant executive engineers in the irrigation department.
He exhorted the engineers to be bold, true to their work, and not hesitate to call out mistakes if they think someone up the chain of command was making them.
“Look at the Kaleshwaram project. Everyone in the department blames everyone else for what happened saying their superior officer said do this, or do that. Make Kaleshwaram project your study area. Learn how not to do things from that experience. I am saying this on record from Jalasoudha. You must think why the mistakes happened,” Revanth Reddy said.
The Chief Minister said irrigation officials going in front of the Justice P.C. Ghose commission of inquiry had no answers and were reduced to shifting blame onto others or their superiors.
“The blame is travelling up and down the chain of command. It is when faced with challenges and mistakes, your education should come to bear. Send wrong decisions back pointing them out so that mistakes do not happen,” he added.
“Learn on the field, learn your work. Only those who rise up from the ground become successful. There was a time when engineers would wake up at 5 am, get out on field work, and write their reports. This practice has been ignored in the past few years. Be the force that will give Telangana a great future,” the Chief Minister said.
“Get your inspiration from the likes of Mokshagundam Visweswaraya who built Himayatsagar and Osmansagar which even after 100 years serve as drinking water sources for Hyderabad. Decide on who your ideals should be. The likes of Visweswaraya or those who built the collapsed Kaleshwaram,” Revanth Reddy said, taking his attack on Chandrashekar Rao further.
