Kaleswaram used as cash cow by TRS: Bhatti

Hyderabad: Leader of Opposition in Assembly Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Friday alleged that the Kaleswaram project has been used as cash cow by the ruling party to get money whenever required.

Addressing the media, he criticised the project cost has been raised to Rs one lakh crore from Rs 38,000 crore, when it was conceived.

This project, which is the new shape of the Pranahitha Chevella LIS, was designed with a cost of Rs 38,000 crore. Already the government spent Rs 50,000 crore and it has been stating that another Rs 50,000 crore would be spent, he added.

He said as per the old design the project was supposed to irrigate about 14 lakh acres with a cost Rs 38,000 crore. But after spending Rs 50,000 crore even one acre was not irrigated.

Vikramarka said Rs 5,000 crore have to be spent on the power for the project as per the new design. He alleged that the project would serve the purposes of the Chief Minister's family than the State.

He alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has been purchasing the Congress MLAs with fear of getting exposed about his corruption. The detailed project report of the project was not given to anyone so far.

If Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy comes for the inauguration of the project, he would admit that the design of the project, which was conceived during his father YS Rajasekhara Reddy, was false.

He demanded that the government place all the tenders of the irrigation projects be uploaded on to the Irrigation department website.

It should make the DPR of Sitarama project public, he added. He said present MLA from Maheswaram and former MLA from Chevella Sabitha Reddy, who joined the TRS, has done Padayatra for water to the Chevella through the Pranahitha – Chevella project.

But the water through the Kaleswaram, which was the new shape of Pranahitha – Chevella, would deny that.