Nalgonda: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday slammed irrigation department officials over the slow pace of work on several lift irrigation schemes in the erstwhile Nalgonda district. During a review meeting held at a private function hall in Miryalaguda, he criticised officials for failing to flag bottlenecks in project execution until the minister convened the session.Miryalaguda MLA Bathula Lakshma Reddy had pointed out that four schemes — among them the Dunnapothulagandi Lift Irrigation Scheme — had made no visible progress since their foundation stones were laid. “This recklessness is unacceptable,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said, ordering officials to accelerate land acquisition “on a war footing” and submit a detailed action plan within days.Highlighting the region’s dependence on the left canal of the Nagarjunasagar Project for irrigation, he accused the previous BRS government of conceding an unfair share of Krishna river water to Andhra Pradesh. Out of the 811 TMC allocation recommended by the Bachawat Tribunal, he noted, Telangana had accepted just 219 TMC, leaving 512 TMC to the neighbouring state. He added that the current Congress administration has reopened the tribunal case and secured its acceptance for further hearings.Uttam Kumar Reddy also faulted the BRS administration for silence on Andhra Pradesh’s expansion of the Pothireddypadu project and related Rayalaseema lift schemes. He announced plans to install telemetry meters across Telangana’s irrigation network to ensure transparent tracking of water releases.On infrastructure, the minister recalled that although the previous government spent ₹1.81 lakh crore — largely on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme — it failed to create additional area under cultivation. He alleged design flaws and corruption led to the collapse of the Medigadda barrage and said de-silting operations are now underway to restore storage in major reservoirs, including Nagarjunasagar and Sriram Sagar.To bolster the irrigation department, Uttam Kumar Reddy noted the 2025-26 budget earmarks ₹23,000 crore for the sector, and announced the recruitment of 1,100 engineers and 1,800 outsourced lascars for canal maintenance. He also confirmed that work on the Sitarama Laxman Biju (SLBC) tunnel will resume shortly after expert consultations and is slated for completion within the current government’s term.The review meeting was attended by Telangana State Legislative Council chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy; roads and buildings minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy; Nalgonda MP Kunduru Raghuveer Reddy; Bhongir MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy; and MLAs from the former Nalgonda district.
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