Accusing the Congress government of plotting to demolish the Kaleshwaram Lift irrigation project, BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday gave a call of “Chalo Medigadda” on 1st March.

The BRS leadership intends to explain to people of the state how the Kaleshwaram project benefitted the farmers.
The BRS leader demanded that the government take steps to repair the Medigadda barrage immediately. He wondered why there were discussions about demolishing an entire project when only three pillars have shown signs of cracks. “Kaleshwaram is being misrepresented as a failed project by showing three damaged pillars,” alleged Rao.

Many projects like Kadem, Singur, Pulichintala and Prakasham Barrage have shown cracks, he pointed out. He suggested that a coffer dam should be built and the pillars could be repaired. The seepage in Medigadda barrage had begun during elections in October last year.
Recently, another barrage, Annaram, also showed signs of seepage, prompting the government to contact National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) to look into the safety issue and future of the project.

KT Rama Rao who is more popularly known as KTR explained that due to the geographical terrain of the state if Telangana wants water it has to be lifted. The rivers flow at a lower gradient than the fields and settlements and hence the Kaleshwaram project was accordingly designed. Justifying the excessive cost of operating Kaleshwaram, he said then hospitals and IITs should not be built if costs and benefits were to be calculated. He said Kaleshwaram was not only about Medigadda barrage. It has three barrages, 15 reservoirs, 21 pump houses, 203 km of tunnels and 1531km of canals.

Irrigation would be a key issue in the upcoming Lok Sabha election in the state with the Congress harping on the failure of Kaleshwaram project and the BRS accusing the state government of handing over irrigation projects to the Centre which they say would be disadvantageous for Telangana. While the Congress government came out with a White paper on irrigation and even held a powerpoint presentation in the Assembly, the BRS has first held a public Rally, Chalo Nalgonda followed by Chalo Medigadda to bring the issue of irrigation to the forefront.