In Hyderabad, State Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Captain N Uttam Kumar Reddy has challenged claims made by former minister and BRS leader T Harish Rao. Rao stated that 90 percent of the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project was complete, a claim Reddy called “ludicrous.” He clarified that only 39 percent of the work had actually been completed under the BRS government.
Uttam Reddy announced that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy would switch on the pumps for the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project on August 15. He assured everyone that the project would be fully operational by August 15, 2026.
To discuss the project, Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, held a review meeting at Jal Soudha. They focused on the inauguration arrangements and other important aspects of the project.
The Minister criticized the BRS party, questioning how they could claim 90 percent completion after spending only Rs 7,230 crore out of an allocated Rs 18,231 crore. He accused the previous government of installing motors too early to earn higher commissions, without conducting a necessary dry run. He also dismissed claims that the required permissions from the Central Water Commission (CWC) had been obtained, asserting that no such permissions had been granted.
The Sitarama Lift Irrigation Project is now fully approved by the Godavari River Management Board and will receive 67 TMC of water from the Godavari River, which Uttam Reddy credited as an achievement of the Congress government.
Uttam Reddy explained that the Sitarama Project was originally conceived as the Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar projects during the Congress government’s tenure. He accused the BRS of renaming the project to Sitarama to take credit and hide the fact that the original projects, estimated to cost Rs 3,500 crore, could have been completed with an additional Rs 1,500 crore.
He alleged that the BRS government’s negligence had caused the costs to rise significantly to Rs 18,000 crore, without increasing the area of irrigated land.
Minister Srinivas Reddy also challenged Harish Rao, urging him to ask his ‘uncle’ (KCR) about the BRS’s performance in Khammam, where they managed to win only one seat in the last three elections. He warned that the BRS could be completely wiped out in the future and attributed their previous solitary victory to his own influence and the success of his disciple. He cautioned Harish Rao against underestimating the people of Khammam.
