HYDERABAD

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has alleged that HYDRAA has become a blackmailing and extortion tool for Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and inclusion of about one crore acres of land in the prohibited list from just 16 lakh acres, when BRS demitted office, is an indication of the Chief Minister’s malevolent intentions.

Reacting to the High Court judgment on HYDRAA, at a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, he stated that the actions of HYDRAA would clearly indicate that it was formed only to victimise the poor and middle-class and sparing the powerful. He faulted the agency’s actions as it had not touched the homes of Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, A. Tirupathi Reddy (CM’s brother), G. Vivek, G. Sukender Reddy and others falling in the full tank level or buffer zone areas of water bodies.

Responding to a question, he said there was no need for BRS leadership to come to Delhi to meet Mr. Revanth Reddy as he was only a few streets away in Hyderabad and that people of Telangana were very much aware as to who colluded with whom. He pointed out that the fate of IT/ED raids on some Congress leaders’ homes/offices, cases registered against BJP leaders/their family members was a clear pointer to collusion politics.

Earlier, he along with party MPs Vaddiraju Ravichandra and D. Damodar Rao and MLA G. Jagadish Reddy met Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in New Delhi on Tuesday, and requested him to sanction pending railway projects, sanction new ones and help the IT sector take roots in tier-two cities.

Mr. Rama Rao said there was need for establishing railway divisions in Kazipet and Kothagudem in the State as Guntur was made a division despite it having only 900 km of track network. Kazipet and Kothagudem, however, have over 2,000 km track network and would make them easily qualify for being divisional headquarters.

On the pending 75 km track work of the Manoharabad-Kothapalli line, the BRS leader explained to the Union Minister that Manoharabad-Siddipet portion of the line running for 76 km was completed already. The completion of the remaining portion would link Sircilla, Vemulawada both to Hyderabad and Karimnagar, enabling the textile mills to export their fabric and garments.

He stated that delay in completion of the work had already escalated the total cost to ₹2,700 crore from ₹1,100 crore in 2004, when it was first sanctioned. He had also requested the Union Minister to help set up IT/ITES units in 10 IT Towers constructed in Tier II cities of Telangana to enable local youth get employment opportunities locally.

Published - July 28, 2026 08:41 pm IST