Challenging the State government’s stance on pumping water from Kannepally, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), senior BRS leaders, Suryapet MLA and former Minister G. Jagadish Reddy and former MP B. Vinod Kumar said the party was ready to take responsibility if concerns persisted over the operation of the pumps.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Mr. Jagadish Reddy said BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao would provide an undertaking if required. He demanded that the State government resume pumping water from the Kannepally pumphouse, contending that there was an opportunity to store up to 150 TMC of water in the Kaleshwaram project reservoirs.
The former Minister criticised the government’s reliance on the recommendations of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), asserting that the Kannepally pumphouse could be operated safely. He further alleged that engineers had indicated that the motors had not been operated for nearly a year.
Former MP B. Vinod Kumar said the Minister’s recent statements on the Kaleshwaram project had come as a surprise. Rejecting concerns that releasing water could pose a threat to Bhadrachalam, he recalled that during the major floods of 2021, when around 29 lakh cusecs of water flowed through the Godavari, no damage was reported in the temple town.
Mr. Vinod Kumar urged the government to stop sand mining at the barrages and halt the movement of sand-laden trucks and focus on lifting and storing water through the Kannepally pumphouse.
Published – July 06, 2026 06:44 pm IST
