KTR’s claim on power holiday absurd: Govt. Whip Aadi Srinivas

Government Whip Aadi Srinivas accused BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao of spreading lies about the El Nino phenomenon, power supply, Musi rejuvenation project and irrigation, alleging that his criticism stemmed from frustration over the BRS losing political ground in Telangana.Addressing the media on Thursday, he said the State government had not announced any power holiday and had ensured uninterrupted electricity supply to agriculture, even when demand touched 20,000 MW. Farmers in some areas were using water tankers to save their crops because of depleted groundwater levels, not because of power cuts, he said.He cited reports of crop losses in Karnataka and financial assistance being extended to farmers in Maharashtra to counter KTR’s claims that there was no drought there. He clarified that the government had not called for a crop holiday but had advised farmers to avoid water-intensive crops as a precautionary measure.Referring to the Musi rejuvenation project, Mr. Srinivas said the meeting held on Wednesday was a stakeholders’ consultation conducted in the presence of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and not a public hearing as alleged by the BRS.He rejected Mr. Rama Rao’s allegation that the government was planning to spend ₹1.5 lakh crore on the project. He said a Detailed Project Report (DPR) had been prepared for Phase I, covering 21 km, with ₹7,345 crore sanctioned for the works. “Where is the ₹1.5 lakh crore?” he asked.On irrigation, Mr. Srinivas questioned the BRS leadership’s repeated allegations that water was not being lifted at Kannepalli. He said the National Dam Safety Authority had advised against storing water in the three barrages of the Kaleshwaram project, and asked where the lifted water could be stored?He maintained that water was being lifted at Devadula and at the Sitarama Sagar project, and asserted that the government was making efforts to conserve Godavari water. Measures, including the use of 1.5 lakh sandbags to retain one tmc ft of water at Devadula, were being attempted. Published - October 29, 2026 08:35 pm IST