Politics can wait, not farmers, Harish Rao on Medigadda

In a pointed rebuttal, senior BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao countered Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy’s allegations over Medigadda barrage, charging him with distorting the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report for political gains. He urged the Congress government to prioritise farmers and expedite repairs at the Medigadda barrage instead of indulging in blame game.

“Politics can wait till elections, but farmers should not,” he asserted.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Harish Rao criticised the Congress Minister for offering little substance beyond political rhetoric. He accused the Congress leadership of duplicity and deliberate misinformation, particularly concerning the Kaleshwaram project and Medigadda barrage.

Clarifying the rationale behind relocating the project, Harish Rao said the shift to Medigadda was made after the Maharashtra government formally objected to the Tummidihetti site. “The Central Water Commission



(CWC) also wrote twice that 160 TMC was not available at Tummidihetti. Based on scientific assessments and administrative advice, we chose Medigadda, which now offers a larger ayacut and enhanced storage – scaled up from 16 TMC to 141 TMC,” he explained.

He also addressed concerns about cost escalation, attributing it to expanded storage capacity, increased ayacut, and fairer land acquisition. “We paid between Rs.8 lakh–Rs.11 lakh per acre as compensation against Rs.4 lakh-Rs.5 lakh under the previous Congress rule. Naturally, the cost rose. But every paisa was spent transparently, with even the loan sanctioned by Central agencies,” he said.

Taking a dig at Uttam Kumar Reddy’s allegations of obtaining huge loans, he remarked that unlike them, the BRS didn’t bribe brokers or mortgage lands, but obtained loans from the Central agencies. “They paid Rs.169 crore as commission to secure a Rs.10,000 crore loan by mortgaging land in Kancha Gachibowli.” he added.