Pocharam flags fund delay for Siddapur reservoir
NIZAMABAD: Government adviser Pocharam Srinivas Reddy said ministers are not responding to his calls and alleged that funds for the Siddapur reservoir in Banswada constituency have not been released despite repeated requests to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Says ministers ignore calls, seeks Chief Minister intervention
He said he had approached the Chief Minister nearly 20 times seeking funds but received no response. “Even if I call, they are not answering. I do not understand whom to approach in this situation,” he said.
Pocharam added that when he served as a minister two decades ago, chief ministers used to respond even to late-night calls. “Now, they are not responding,” he said.
Remarks during site visit trigger political row in Nizamabad
The Siddapur reservoir project, aimed at irrigating 10,000 acres, was launched four years ago during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government with an estimated cost of ₹260 crore.
Pocharam visited the project site in Siddapur village of Varni mandal on Sunday evening and stayed there till late night. During a phone conversation with the irrigation chief engineer, he criticised the government after the contractor said work could not continue without funds. The conversation went viral on Monday, triggering political reactions.
He said, “I am not a newcomer. I am a senior MLA. I asked the Chief Minister 20 times to release funds for pending works. Ministers and MLAs do not call without reason. If people like us face this situation, what should others do?”
Pocharam also said he had come to the site determined to resolve the issue and would stay there if required. When the chief engineer said he could do nothing, Pocharam ended the call.
Later, when some farmers suggested meeting ministers, Pocharam asked whether he should go and “fall at their feet”. He said the reservoir works were being neglected and warned that the site would be overrun with weeds if delays continued. Police later persuaded him to leave the site around 11 pm.
Pocharam aware of constraints, says TPCC chief
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Mahesh Goud said Pocharam is a senior leader and understands the situation. He said the state’s debt rose to ₹8 lakh crore during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government, compared to ₹68,000 crore during earlier Congress and Telugu Desam Party regimes.
He said the government is paying around ₹7,000 crore every month towards interest and instalments. “Pocharam knows these issues. There are some difficulties, but as a leader who seeks development, he will understand,” he said.
