Kaleshwaram Project: A Lifeline for Telangana or a Costly Mismanagement?
A heated debate has erupted in Telangana over the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), a massive infrastructure project touted as the state’s lifeline. Former Irrigation Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA T. Harish Rao has vehemently defended the project against accusations of misinformation and mismanagement leveled by the ruling Congress party. He asserts that KLIS has significantly expanded irrigation in the state, while the Congress claims the project’s benefits have been grossly exaggerated.
Harish Rao, who oversaw the project during the BRS’s first term (2014-2018), presented a detailed defense of KLIS, addressing concerns about cost escalation, location changes, and actual irrigated area. He dismissed allegations that the project’s location was shifted for dubious reasons, explaining that the initial Thummidihatti location was unsuitable due to insufficient water availability. The Kaleshwaram project, he emphasized, was designed for a much larger water capacity (141 tmcft) compared to the previous Pranahitha-Chevella project (11 tmcft).
The core of the dispute revolves around the actual acreage brought under irrigation by KLIS. The irrigation department reports that 20.33 lakh acres are now irrigated, with 98,000 acres added since the project’s inauguration. However, Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, dispute these figures, with some claiming no new land has been irrigated. Harish Rao countered these claims, pointing to the project’s multiple water sources, including the SRSP flood flow canal, water from Kadam to Yellampally, and Medigadda, which provides water during dry periods. He further highlighted the cultivation taking place under reservoirs like Annapurna Sagar, Ranganayaka Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, and Kondapochamma Sagar.
The cost escalation of KLIS has also become a major point of contention. The Congress party has criticized the significant increase in the project’s budget. Harish Rao justified the higher cost by citing the inclusion of additional components and the expansion of the irrigated area. He further accused the previous Congress government (2007-2014) of mismanaging the Pranahitha-Chevella project, which preceded KLIS. He alleged that despite having governments at the state and central levels, the Congress failed to secure necessary approvals and misused funds.
Harish Rao contrasted the BRS government’s success in obtaining approvals from the Maharashtra government for KLIS with the Congress’s alleged failures. He also challenged the Congress’s claim that increased paddy production was achieved without KLIS, arguing that the project plays a crucial role in providing consistent water supply, especially during dry seasons. He dismissed Congress leader Uttam Kumar Reddy’s assertion that ₹10,000 crore was spent on the previous project, stating that the actual expenditure was only ₹3,724 crore.
The ongoing debate over the Kaleshwaram project reflects the deep political divisions within Telangana. While the BRS portrays KLIS as a transformative project vital for the state’s agricultural prosperity, the Congress paints it as a symbol of financial mismanagement and exaggerated claims. The dispute highlights the challenges of evaluating large-scale infrastructure projects and their impact, particularly amidst political maneuvering. As both sides present conflicting data and interpretations, it remains to be seen how the public will perceive the project’s true value and whether an independent assessment will eventually settle the matter. The accusations and counter-accusations continue, leaving the people of Telangana to grapple with the competing narratives and decide for themselves the legacy of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. The controversy surrounding the project is likely to persist as a key political issue in the state.