Revanth urges KCR to discuss Kaleshwaram, El Niño and Godavari waters in special assembly session

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy along with Ministers Damodar Raj Narsimha, D Sridhar Babu, Tummala NAgeshwar Rao and Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad at a public meeting of Rythu Mela at Hakimpet village in Vikarabad district on November 7, 2026.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy invited BRS President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to participate in a two-day assembly discussion in December on the Kaleshwaram project, Godavari waters and the expected impact of El Niño.

Interacting with progressive farmers and agricultural scientists after the inauguration of the Mega Rythu Mela and Industrial Expo at Hakimpet village in Dudyala mandal of Vikarabad district, Mr. Reddy appealed to Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar to allow the discussion and said that Mr. Rao and his family members should attend so that the facts regarding irrigation projects and their implementation can be made public.

Accusing the previous BRS government of failing to complete a single major irrigation project in undivided Mahabubnagar district during its 10-year tenure, he said people expected the completion of Kalwakurthy, Bhima, Nettampadu, Koilsagar and Makthal-Narayanpet-Kodangal irrigation projects. Had the Congress formed the government in 2014, these projects would have been completed and the aspirations of the people of the region would have been fulfilled, he claimed.

Mr. Reddy alleged that the previous government had neglected the drinking and irrigation water requirements of the region by prioritizing the Kaleshwaram project over the Pranahita project, despite the Centre’s offer to grant national project status to the project.

The Chief Minister said the then Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao was reluctant to discuss Medigaddah while claiming to be “Kaleshwar Rao” who claimed to be the man behind its completion. “After it collapsed, there is no mention of Medigadda,” Mr. Reddy objected

He also accused Mr. Rao of approaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi to delay the state government-ordered CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.

Responding to criticism of the functioning of the Kaleshwaram project and demands for the operation of Kannnepalli pumps, the Chief Minister questioned the purpose of constructing Medigaddy if water could be pumped independently of the pumps.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy interacting with farmers and officials at Rythu Mela in Hakimpet village of Vikarabad district on November 7, 2026.

Mr. Reddy also accused the previous government of thwarting development in Kodangal, but the Congress government expedited the Makthal-Narayanpet lift irrigation project, with compensation of ₹20 million per acre being paid to farmers affected by the land acquisition, as against less than ₹2,00,000,000 offered by Mr. Rao’s government.

Comparing it to the development of industrial corridors between Delhi and Noida and Mumbai and Pune, he said that the government would develop the Kodangal section from Hyderabad airport on similar models.

Warns farmers about El Nino

The chief minister also warned farmers about the possibility of El Niño-induced drought and advised them to start growing short-duration and less water-intensive crops instead of water-intensive crops. He urged farmers not to be swayed by political statements.

He announced that he would visit every village after Sankranti under the proposed ‘Praja Bala’ program to interact with the people and solve their problems. Apart from several MLAs and MLCs, Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao, D. Sridhar Babu and Damodar Rajanarsimha attended.

Later, the Chief Minister gave a hands-on presentation of four proposed development initiatives near the Regional Ring Road in the Kodangal region, including the Industrial Center for the Rural Agricultural Region Economy (RARE), the Network of Apparel and Infrastructure (NARI) Park, Regional Industries and Small Enterprises (THRIVE Hub and RISE).

Published – 07 Nov 2026 19:16 IST