Revanth vows to complete SLBC tunnel, blames BRS for delay

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project, sanctioned to transfer 30 TMC of water to irrigate 3 lakh acres, would be completed under the Congress government despite past neglect and political hurdles.

Speaking at a media conference held at Mannevaripalli in Nagarkurnool district, he alleged that while the BRS government spent ₹1.86 lakh crore on contracts during its tenure, with ₹1.05 lakh crore allocated solely to the Kaleshwaram project, it failed to complete a single project on the Krishna River. “Because we didn’t take our rightful share of Krishna water, Andhra Pradesh has been diverting it,” he said.

“By 2014, several kilometres of SLBC tunnel work had been completed. But in the ten years after Telangana’s formation, not even ten kilometres were finished,” he said, accusing former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao of deliberately sidelining the project for political reasons.

“This project is crucial for the people of Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar. If not completed now, it may never be completed. No matter how many obstacles come our way, we will overcome them and finish the SLBC tunnel. The people will not forgive us if we fail,” he said.

The Chief Minister noted that upon completion, the 40 km-long SLBC tunnel would be the longest of its kind in the world. “At that time, the project could have been completed with ₹2,000 crore. Now, with revised estimates, it can be finished for ₹4,600 crore,” he said.

Mr. Reddy recalled that the late Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had initiated works on Tunnel-1 and Tunnel-2 of the SLBC project in 2004 during the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. Tenders worth ₹1,968 crore were issued at the time, and for the first time in India, a Tunnel Boring Machine was deployed for the SLBC works.

Despite the death of eight workers during the project execution recently, he said the government was determined to complete the tunnel.

Acknowledging the efforts of Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy, who is using his experience and contacts from his Army background to expedite the project, the Chief Minister criticised BRS for ‘making frivolous statements instead of accepting past failures’.

He said the Congress government has taken full responsibility to rehabilitate the people of submerged villages like Marlapadu, Keshya Tanda and Nakkalagandi Tanda, and resolve all related issues by December 31.

Earlier, the Chief Minister set out by helicopter from Begumpet to inspect the crucial Aerial Electromagnetic Survey being launched for the SLBC tunnel works. Accompanied by Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, he reached Mannevari Palli in Achampet mandal, where the survey helicopter equipped with advanced instruments was stationed.

The Chief Minister and Ministers inspected the sophisticated equipment installed on the helicopter and formally flagged off the survey by waving the green flag and giving the take-off signal.

The high-tech survey, supervised by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI), will begin near the SLBC outlet close to Mannevari Palli. The helicopter carrying the Chief Minister and Ministers also took off alongside the survey helicopter and travelled parallel for a few kilometres to observe the process from the air.

The heli-borne magnetic survey, conducted using a special transmitter fitted to the helicopter, will collect geological data up to a depth of 1,000 metres. It aims to identify underground shear zones and water flow patterns, which are critical for planning and executing the SLBC tunnel works.