Former minister and BRS president Ponnala Lakshmaiah at a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Friday (November 28).
BRS leader and Irrigation Minister in the earlier Congress government, Ponnala Lakshmaiah, questioned the need for the new government plan to pump water from Tummidi Hatti to Sundilla and then to the Yellampally project and start the Tummiddi Hatti project.
Addressing a press conference at the Telangana Bhavan on Friday, he said the Tummidi Hatti-Sundilla lift project resulted in wastage of ₹9,000-12,000 crore as water continued to flow unused from Yellampalli into the sea.
Mr. Lakshmaiah also questioned the need for new power projects when NTPC is ready to supply 2,400 MW to Telangana as mandated by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. “People who don’t even understand basic concepts like load are talking about capacity. Peak load factor isn’t even 5 to 9%. Then why do we need new power plants?” he asked.
He also termed the newly announced HILT policy as an “attempted land grab” and called it “TILT policy” which aims to mislead the public. He said Congress had failed to prioritize its own manifesto promises, including a commitment to build 24 million houses in four years. “How many houses have been built so far? How much money has been released?” he asked. He also criticized the plan to use satellite imagery for the Rythu Bandhu scheme and alleged that the government was considering cuts to avoid direct transfers.
“I’m ready to discuss every issue I’ve raised with anyone who disagrees,” he said, inviting congressional officials to a discussion. Former Corporation Chairman G. Deviprasad also spoke.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 19:10 IST
