Excise Minister Challenges BRS Over Incomplete Palamuru Project, Claims Massive Spending Gap

Hyderabad: Telangana's Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has disputed the Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi's assertions regarding the status of the Palamuru project, contending that the outgoing administration squandered substantial resources without finishing essential components.

During an inspection of the Palamuru-Rangareddy and Kalwakurthy irrigation schemes on Tuesday, the minister stated that completing the Palamuru-Rangareddy project in its entirety would require approximately Rs 1 lakh crore. He maintained that the previous BRS administration disbursed Rs 28,000 crore yet failed to execute crucial undertakings.

The minister's visit included MLAs Dr Vamshi Krishna and Dr Rajesh, along with departmental officials. The inspection precedes Chief Minister Revanth Reddy's scheduled tour of the undivided Palamuru district infrastructure on May 30 and 31.

At the Narlapur PRLIS pump house, Jupally Krishna Rao demanded that BRS leaders substantiate their claim of achieving 90 percent project completion.

Multiple Components Remain Unfinished

The minister highlighted that several canal connections spanning between reservoirs remain incomplete. He further noted that the previous government commissioned only a single motor of the nine initially proposed at Narlapur, whereas the current administration has now activated three units, with five additional installations still pending.

Jupally also flagged the previous government's failure to acquire land for distributary canals and its inability to conclude canal excavation operations.

Questioning the veracity of opposition statements, the minister challenged how BRS leaders could claim near-completion when substantial work remains outstanding. He underscored that the administration must complete additional canal infrastructure and distributary canals while installing the remaining five motors to effectively utilise the 90 TMC water allocation.

The minister acknowledged that certain incomplete works have disrupted Mission Bhagiratha water supply services but expressed confidence that the government would resolve outstanding issues and deliver irrigation water across 4.6 lakh acres spanning Nagarkurnool and Wanaparthy districts.