CityLightBuzz: Former Telangana Minister and BRS Deputy Floor Leader T. Harish Rao strongly criticized the Congress government, accusing it of failing to provide irrigation water to farmers despite sufficient water availability in the Godavari River and the Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme.
Recalling a press conference held at Telangana Bhavan on July 12, Harish Rao said the BRS had demanded that the government immediately start the Devadula pumps. He alleged that on July 13, Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Bhatti Vikramarka, and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy visited the project by helicopter and made tall promises of filling 22 reservoirs by lifting 38 TMC of water, encouraging farmers to begin cultivation. However, he said those promises have remained unfulfilled.
Harish Rao alleged that although there is ample water in the Sammakka Barrage, with nearly 3 TMC of storage and a flood flow of around 22,000 cusecs, the government has failed to lift water for irrigation. He questioned why farmers in Warangal district are staging protests in areas such as Shayampet, Bhimadevarpally, and Elkathurthy despite sufficient water being available.
He accused the government of operating only a few of the Devadula pumps instead of all ten, alleging that while seven pumps function when ministers visit, only three or five operate on normal days. He demanded to know why all ten pumps have not been made operational.
Calling the situation “a Congress-created drought rather than an El Niño drought,” Harish Rao alleged that the previous BRS government under K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) had completed all three phases of the Devadula project and made it capable of supplying irrigation water to 3.17 lakh acres. He claimed that the Congress government’s negligence has pushed the erstwhile Warangal region into a drought-like situation.
Harish Rao further alleged that delayed payments of around ₹8 crore last year resulted in a 50-day delay in operating the pumps, causing crop losses worth nearly ₹700–800 crore. He questioned why the government was again delaying water lifting despite forecasts of below-normal rainfall.
He accused the government of allowing 105 TMC of Godavari water to flow downstream towards Andhra Pradesh while lifting only 1.9 TMC, despite having the capacity to lift nearly 12 TMC during the same period. He also criticized conflicting statements made by ministers and district officials. While ministers reportedly assured farmers that irrigation water would be supplied to over 3 lakh acres, the Warangal District Collector allegedly advised farmers not to take up cultivation due to the lack of water. Harish Rao questioned which version farmers should believe.
Targeting Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Harish Rao alleged that the government is more focused on political rhetoric than ensuring irrigation and drinking water supply. He claimed that the administration has failed to provide electricity, release funds, maintain transformers, and operate irrigation infrastructure effectively.
He alleged that despite having functional projects, reservoirs, motors, and adequate water levels, the government has failed to utilize the infrastructure built by the previous BRS government.
Harish Rao asserted that while the Congress government completed irrigation for only 46,000 acres during its earlier tenure, the KCR-led BRS government expanded irrigation coverage under Devadula to 3.17 lakh acres.
He demanded that the government immediately:
- Operate all 10 Devadula pumps
- Fill all 22 reservoirs
- Ensure irrigation and drinking water supply to 3.17 lakh acres
- Provide input subsidy to affected farmers
- Apologize to farmers for failing to honor its promises
Warning of intensified protests, Harish Rao said that if the government fails to act immediately, the BRS would launch a large-scale farmers’ agitation along with farmers from Warangal, Nalgonda, and Karimnagar districts.
The press conference was attended by former ministers Satyavathi Rathod, Rajaiah, and Laxma Reddy, MLC Ravinder Rao, former MLAs Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, Aroori Ramesh, and Ala Venkateshwar Reddy, along with senior BRS leaders.
