K Chandrashekar Hyderabad

BRS senior leader S Niranjan Reddy on Wednesday claimed that the flow of water from Narlapur to the Elluru reservoir was made possible by decisions taken during the BRS government's tenure. He said the then KCR government had installed sluice gates at Narlapur Reservoir following his efforts.

Reacting to Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao releasing water from Narlapur Reservoir on Wednesday, Niranjan Reddy said the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS) had been designed with interlinks to address the limited capacity of canals originally constructed under the Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation (KLI) scheme and ensure adequate water supply to farmers.

The interlinks included Narlapur to Elluru, Yedula to the Buddaram canal, and the Vattem reservoir to the KLI canal, he said.

“During the BRS regime, we made efforts to rectify the injustices caused by the Congress party. Water is still available in the Srisailam project. If the government is sincere, it should remove the soil obstructing Package 3 and allow water to flow,” he said.

Niranjan Reddy maintained that there was no problem operating the existing pumps, but difficulties arose when all 10 pumps were run simultaneously. The pumps at Yedula and Vattem were ready, and water could be transported up to Karivena, he said, adding that each reservoir could store five TMC of water.

The remaining works could be completed by next year, he claimed. Removing the soil obstructing Package 3 would ensure an uninterrupted flow of water, he added.

The BRS leader questioned why the PRLIS works had remained stalled for three years, why tenders for canals issued during the BRS regime had been cancelled, and why fresh tenders had not been invited since then.

He also questioned the appointment of officials who had previously worked against Telangana's irrigation projects as advisers to the State government on irrigation.

Despite the BRS repeatedly demanding completion of the PRLIS over the past three years, Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao had not spoken up on the issue even once, Niranjan Reddy alleged.