Bhatti Hits Back KTR Over Drought Remarks; Asks About Medigadda Fiasco

Addressing a press conference in Hanamkonda, Bhatti said it was surprising that KTR, who was educated in the United States and served as a minister for a decade, displayed a lack of basic knowledge about El Nino weather conditions.

The Acting CM explained that the drought-like conditions were the result of global climate changes triggered by El Niño in the Pacific Ocean. This led to below normal rainfall in several parts of India. This is not due to any decision taken by the current state government.

Bhatti said the opposition should act responsibly by offering constructive suggestions on the government’s measures to deal with the situation, rather than making politically motivated claims that could mislead the public.

He accused BRS leaders of spreading misinformation against the government through media outlets sympathetic to the party. Targeting former Irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, the deputy Chief Minister questioned why the Medigadda dam, built under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project at an estimated cost of around Rs 1 lakh crore, developed structural problems and declined within three years of its completion.

Comparing the Medigadda dam with projects built during previous Congress governments, he noted that the Sripada Yellampalli Project on the Godavari River and the Sriram Sagar Project, built over six decades ago, continue to operate effectively and provide irrigation to lakhs of acres of land without major structural problems.

Bhatti said people should compare the quality and durability of irrigation projects built during the Congress regime with the condition of the Medigadda dam built during the previous BRS government.

Among those present at the press conference were MLAs Naini Rajender Reddy and KR Nagaraju, along with ministers Konda Surekha and Ponnam Prabhakar