Retd. engineers’ body seeks apology from Revanth

Condemns Cong. leader’s remark against LI adviser to govt.

Telangana Retired Engineers Association (TREA) has condemned the remarks made by Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president and MP A. Revanth Reddy against Adviser to the State government on Lift Irrigation project K. Penta Reddy, stating that he is an authority on hydel power projects, execution of which is akin to lift irrigation projects.

Stating that there was no other engineer with such an experience and expertise in the execution of hydel projects, president of the association G. Damodar Reddy and general secretary M. Shyam Prasad Reddy said on Monday that his entire service was linked to hydel projects and his expertise had come handy in the execution of lift irrigation projects.

They said it was under his leadership that the first largest pumping station of South Asia, that of Alimineti Madhava Reddy Lift Irrigation Project, was executed. Based on its success, several other lift irrigation schemes/projects were planned and executed in Telangana.

The TREA functionaries mentioned that it was Mr. Penta Reddy who supervised the revival of Vellur pumping station of Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme thrice when it was submerged. Similarly, he headed the revival of Srisailam Right Bank Hydro Electric Station, which is in the control of Andhra Pradesh now, twice in 1998 and 2009 when it was flooded and submerged, by staying put at the sites for months.

They asked Mr. Revanth Reddy to withdraw his remarks against Mr. Penta Reddy, who has been working for the progress of the State even as he was approaching 80 years of age.

Chairman of the Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation V. Prakash, in a separate statement, said it was on the Chief Minister’s request that Mr. Penta Reddy was extending his expertise and service to the State’s progress by helping execution of major lift irrigation project. It was on his advice that the 139 megawatt ‘bahubali’ motors and pumps were fabricated by national and multinational companies.

He said submergence of pump houses was quite common when flood comes beyond all estimates and the submergence incidents of the past were examples. Stating that the pump houses could be revived by following established process, he demanded that Mr. Revanth Reddy withdraw his remarks and seek an apology.