The prestigious Kaleshwarama Lift Irrigation Scheme, while evokes surprise and sets records for various things, including round-the-clock work, massive equipment and a whopping ₹90,000 crore expenditure, Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) founder and president M. Kodandaram on Monday said a pertinent question is being missed and not answered by the State government.
“Is the project on such large scale and design, necessary?”
Mr. Kodandaram, who was here to inaugurate the party’s district office, alleged the huge cut from the exchequer was to benefit contractors and earn commissions for leaders.
“If water can be lifted at 45 feet by constructing one barrage, why lift the same water at 110 feet, with three barrages (Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla),” he wondered.
Comparing the two ideas, one dam-one lift versus three dams-three lifts, he said the government could have saved ₹65, 000 crore in the former case, and spend for people’s welfare measures than benefit contractors.
Taking a dig at the Telangana Rashtra Samithi government, he said, “such democratic dissent” unsettled Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and hence shut down dharna chowk at Indira Park.
“He is doing ‘business through politics’ and taking democracy to an all-time low”, Mr. Kodandaram alleged and assured people of TJS resorting to alternative politics to restore democratic values and prevent the system from collapsing.
Conveying condolences to the bereaved families of the tractor accident in Valigonda, he said the Minister’s remarks on ex-gratia - “₹15 lakh is sufficient or you want ₹50 lakh?” were satirical. The TJS leader demanded the government stick to the Supreme Court guidelines while arriving at ex-gratia and not be biased and region-wise.
Convenor of Delhi-TJAC Ramakrishna Reddy, also donor of the office property here, senior citizen groups and other district leaders were present.