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Congress MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday hit back at BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao over his remarks on the Jurala Project, alleging that the previous BRS government was responsible for the financial and operational challenges faced by Telangana's power sector.
Speaking to ANI, Reddy said the condition of power projects and state-owned Singareni Collieries Company Limited had deteriorated during the BRS government's tenure. He alleged that no new mines were started for Singareni between 2014 and 2023, while 18 mines were closed after their ore reserves were exhausted. "Today, the status of power projects is because of the BRS party. In the new state, Singareni was the pride of Telangana. In 2014, PSU Singareni was our pride. By 2023, by the time BRS left power, they hadn't started any new mines for this PSU. Rather, there are 18 mines which have closed because the process has been done [and] the ore is finished in those mines," Reddy said. The Congress MP further alleged that some mines in Telangana that could have been given to Singareni were instead auctioned to private players. "Even some of the mines in Telangana itself, they haven't given to Singareni; rather, they have given [them via] auction. They have auctioned [them] to private players who are their relatives," he said. Reddy also alleged that Singareni had accumulated significant dues to the state power distribution companies (DISCOMs), which he claimed contributed to their financial difficulties. Rs 35,000 crore was the debt of Singareni to the DISCOMs. All the DISCOMs have gone bankrupt. The surplus state of Telangana has gone into 8 lakh crore [in] debt," he said. He accused the previous BRS government of focusing on the interests of its family members, friends and political associates rather than the people of Telangana. "This is just because of BRS governance. BRS has looted this state for the sake of their family empowerment, their friends and relatives, and their political friends' empowerment, not for the people's empowerment," Reddy alleged. Reddy said the Congress government, after coming to power, pursued power projects that had remained pending due to cases before the National Green Tribunal (NGT). "And Congress, after coming into power, pursued the power projects which were pending due to NGT (National Green Tribunal) cases," he said. On Monday, K.T. Rama Rao had criticised the Congress-led Telangana government over what he described as severe water mismanagement and apathy regarding the Jurala Project crisis. KTR claimed that approximately 8.4 to 9 TMC of water was available in the Jurala reservoir, but the state government refused to release it for standing crops in the ayacut, leading to drying fields. (ANI)
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