Ponnala faults Congress govt. for failure to utilise available Godavari water

Former Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah criticizes Congress Government's handling of Godavari water, highlighting lack of expertise and petty politics.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Minister for Irrigation Ponnala Lakshmaiah has criticised the attitude of the Congress Government in utilising the available water in Godavari by lifting it back from Annaram and Sundilla barrages even after noticing the sinking of some piers of Medigadda Barrage last October 21.

“It exposed the present government’s lack of understanding and experience on the issue of irrigation and utilising the river waters, though several storage facilities, reservoir and irrigation tanks, linked to the Kaleshwaram project had ample storage space to fill water (cushion to reach full reservoir level), he said while addressing a press conference here on April 6.

“In case Medigadda had a problem, what stopped the government from lifting back water to Annaram-Sundilla-Yellampalli-Mid Manair and from there to other reservoirs and tanks? There was no expert committee report/recommendation to empty all three barrages nor was there any bar on lifting back water. It only shows a lack of understanding and petty politics,” Mr. Lakshmaiah said.

Not only lifting back of water from Medigadda but there was another opportunity for the government to run all the pumping systems of the Devadula scheme to lift back water from Thupakulagudem (Sammakka) Barrage as 19 reservoirs of the system had about 9 tmcft storage space. But the government had let off 48 tmcft of precious water from there between December 7 and March 7, the former Minister pointed out.

Except for emotion to criticise the previous BRS Government and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, neither Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy nor any of his colleagues have any understanding on Godavari waters. Ridiculing their criticism of KCR, Mr. Lakshmaiah said people know how the Congress party had run away from power point presentation given by KCR in the Assembly in 2016.

He stated that it was with foresightedness the BRS Government had constructed three barrages and even when in Congress he did not oppose the Kaleshwaram project but he spoke only about the huge expenditure needed and State’s resources. He asked the people to wait and watch how the cost of Kodangal lift irrigation scheme would escalate by the time it was completed.

Rebutting the Congress criticism that it was because of corruption people had voted BRS out of power, Mr. Lakshmaiah said whether it was for the same reason the Congress Governments in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan were changed by people.