Hyderabad: On Monday, S Niranjan Reddy, a senior leader of the BRS party, claimed that a report on the Kaleshwaram project was deliberately shortened to harm the reputation of BRS President K Chandrashekar Rao. He mentioned that this report could be contested in court.
Speaking at a press event at Telangana Bhavan, Reddy highlighted that the Kaleshwaram project was built to satisfy Telangana’s water needs. He criticized the Congress for its comments about relocating the project site. Reddy accused the Congress of consistently betraying Telangana, referencing the relocation of Nagarjuna Sagar, which he said deprived the region of water. He stated that a group of retired engineers explained the reasons for the site change and insisted that the truth would eventually come out.
Reddy pointed out that during the leadership of Chandrababu Naidu and YS Rajashekhara Reddy in undivided Andhra Pradesh, there were no permits for reservoirs. In contrast, the Kaleshwaram project had all necessary approvals. He claimed that some media outlets were trying to misrepresent Telangana’s achievements. According to him, everyone in Telangana is aware of Naidu’s objections to the project.
He questioned why the Ghosh Commission report was not fully disclosed. Reddy emphasized that the report is not final and can be challenged in court under the Commission of Inquiries Act. He alleged that the report was condensed from 665 pages to 60 to unfairly blame KCR. He further criticized Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy for supposedly manipulating media narratives. Reddy claimed that Telangana’s struggle for water has been ongoing for four decades and accused the Congress of significant wrongdoing.
Reddy also mentioned that of the 85 pillars in Medigadda, only two were slightly damaged, while the 66 pillars at Annaram and 74 at Sundilla were mostly intact. He questioned why the construction company offered to repair the damage at a cost of Rs. 400 crore. He also asked why the government was prioritizing the release of official reports over the Ghosh Commission’s findings. BRS leaders Ch Rakesh Kumar and Abhilash Rangineni were also present at the event.
