Telangana is standing firm on its right to a fair share of Krishna river water, according to State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy. Speaking on Wednesday, he promised that the Congress government will not rest until the state receives what it truly deserves.
He strongly criticized the previous BRS government, accusing it of giving away Telangana’s rightful claim. “They agreed to take only 299 tmcft out of a total 811 tmcft from the Krishna waters,” Uttam said. “This left 512 tmcft for Andhra Pradesh. It wasn’t a compromise—it was a complete surrender, and they put it in writing.”
Now, the Congress-led government is taking a different path. Uttam said they’ve taken the issue back to the Brijesh Kumar Tribunal, demanding a 70:30 split—70% for Telangana and 30% for Andhra Pradesh. The demand is based on factors like catchment area, agricultural land, drought conditions, and population.
“I’m the only Irrigation Minister in India personally arguing my state’s case before the tribunal,” he said. “We are committed to fixing the damage done by the BRS.”
The Congress government plans to focus on building effective irrigation systems, especially in Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, and Khammam districts. These drought-prone areas need reliable water sources, and Uttam said the goal is to turn them green by using Krishna river water wisely.
He also sharply attacked the BRS for what he called a massive failure—the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. According to Uttam, this project wasted Rs 1 lakh crore and failed to deliver results.
“If they had stuck with the original Pranahita-Chevella project, which the Congress designed for Rs 38,000 crore, Telangana could have built at least 10 major irrigation projects,” he explained. “Instead, they threw away Rs 62,000 crore on a single project that collapsed both financially and structurally.”
Uttam said the Pranahita-Chevella plan, crafted under former Chief Minister Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, aimed to bring both Krishna and Godavari waters to Telangana in a cost-effective way. But the BRS government scrapped it for political showmanship, building Kaleshwaram at Medigadda.
“The result? Three collapsed barrages, and farmers got nothing,” he said.
He didn’t hold back on allegations of corruption either. “Kaleshwaram became a money-making machine, not a water project,” Uttam accused. “A Rs 38,000 crore plan ballooned into a Rs 1 lakh crore disaster. What we have now is a broken system and a huge financial hole.”
The Minister made it clear: Telangana’s fight for water is personal, urgent, and far from over.
