Hyderabad, Aug 13 (IANS) Telangana’s Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday refuted claims by former minister Harish Rao that 90 per cent of the work of the Sitarama Lift Irrigation project was completed under the rule BRS and asserted that only 39 per cent of the work was completed by the previous government.

He announced that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy will switch on three pumps of the Sitarama Lift Irrigation project on August 15. The project would be fully operational by August 15, 2026.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, conducted a review meeting on the project.

Speaking to media persons later, Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised the BRS party, questioning how 90 per cent of the project could be completed after spending only Rs 7,230 crore out of the allocated Rs 18,231 crore.

He accused the BRS government of installing motors prematurely to earn higher commissions, even though a dry run was never conducted. He also dismissed claims that the necessary permissions from the Central Water Commission (CWC) had been obtained, stating that no such permissions had been granted.

The Seetharama Lift Irrigation Project, now fully approved by the Godavari River Management Board, will receive 67 TMC of water from the Godavari River which is an achievement of the Congress government, he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the Sitarama Project was originally conceived as the Rajiv Sagar and Indira Sagar projects during the Congress government's tenure.

He accused the BRS of renaming the project to Sitarama to claim credit and to conceal the fact that the original projects, estimated to cost Rs 3,500 crore, could have been completed with an additional Rs 1,500 crore.

He alleged that the BRS government's negligence had led to a significant cost escalation to Rs 18,000 crore, without a corresponding increase in irrigated land.

He accused the BRS government of neglecting the irrigation system in the state and failing to utilise the allocated funds effectively. He pointed out that despite spending Rs 1.81 lakh crore over 10 years, the previous government failed to bring new acreage under irrigation.