The original Jurala plan, proposed in a 2013 Government Order by the undivided Andhra Pradesh Congress government, would have secured priority water allocations from 70 TMC of reliable flood flows, avoiding downstream dependencies at Srisailam. The site shift, critics argue, not only ballooned costs but also compromised Telangana's interstate bargaining power, capping PRLIS at one TMC to accommodate Andhra's Rayalaseema scheme. "This was a betrayal of drought-prone Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts," Reddy asserted, urging a return to Jurala for better hydrological advantages.
Hyderabad: Following Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy’s explosive revelations at Praja Bhavan on New Year’s Day, sources within the Telangana Congress government indicate a high-level probe is imminent into the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).
The investigation would scrutinize alleged fraud in project construction and the contentious relocation from Jurala to Srisailam, which Reddy branded a “major blunder” undermining the state’s water rights.Insiders suggest the probe, potentially led by a retired judge or a special commission, could be announced during the ongoing winter session of the Legislative Assembly.
Its forcus is expected to focus on financial irregularities, including cost escalations from Rs 35,000 crore to over Rs 80,000 crore (factoring in unaccounted ayacut canals and land acquisition), and the decision to shift the intake point under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime.
“Fraudulent inflation of progress reports and undue concessions to Andhra Pradesh will be key areas,” a senior official told this reporter on condition of anonymity.Reddy’s PowerPoint presentation, attended by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy besides Congress MLAs and MLCs, dismantled the BRS’s claim of 90% project completion as a “cruel deception.”
He highlighted that only Rs 27,000 crore was spent by BRS, with the current government adding Rs 7,000 crore in two years. The original Jurala plan, proposed in a 2013 Government Order by the undivided Andhra Pradesh Congress government, would have secured priority water allocations from 70 TMC of reliable flood flows, avoiding downstream dependencies at Srisailam.
The site shift, critics argue, not only ballooned costs but also compromised Telangana’s interstate bargaining power, capping PRLIS at one TMC to accommodate Andhra’s Rayalaseema scheme. “This was a betrayal of drought-prone Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda districts,” Reddy asserted, urging a return to Jurala for better hydrological advantages.
Prospects for the probe appear strong, bolstered by upcoming Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal (KWDT-1) hearings in eight months. Telangana’s demand for 763 TMC from the basin’s 1,050 TMC hinges on exposing past mismanagement. Opposition BRS leaders, including former CM K. Chandrashekar Rao and T. Harish Rao, have dismissed the allegations as political vendetta.
But Congress sources claim documentary evidence from CWC reports and GOs will form the probe’s backbone.If initiated, the inquiry could lead to accountability measures, including recovery of misspent funds and policy reforms. As debates heat up in the Assembly, this development signals a aggressive push by the Revanth Reddy administration.
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