BRS Criticizes Government Over Drought and El Niño Management, Calls for White Paper

Hyderabad, October 19 (Daily Kiran) : Dr. Shravan Dasoju, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), has issued a scathing letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The letter addresses the recently formed cabinet sub-committee tasked with managing the state’s drought and El Niño conditions.

In his letter, dated October 19, Dr. Dasoju accused the government of failing to take the drought and El Niño crisis seriously in a timely manner. He criticized the cabinet sub-committee, established under Government Order No. 1523, for lacking effective crisis management strategies.

The BRS leader pointed out that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and weather experts had warned of below-average rainfall and the threat of El Niño as early as April 2026. Despite these warnings, the government did not take any concrete steps until mid-October, by which time reservoir levels had dropped significantly, Kharif crops had withered, and electricity demand had surged to record levels.

Dr. Dasoju highlighted several shortcomings in the government’s orders. He noted that there was no set timeline for the sub-committee to submit its report, no special emergency budget allocated for the committee, and that the urban administration and urban development department were excluded despite the looming drinking water crisis in urban areas.

He also claimed that water levels in the Krishna and Godavari basins are continuously declining, with over 40% of the state’s ponds holding less than 25% of their capacity. Due to the record demand for electricity, the state has been forced to purchase power at high rates from the open market.

The BRS MLC accused the government of political vendetta and criminal negligence. He stated that the ineffective operation of the Kannepalli pump house has resulted in substantial water loss from the Godavari, while farmers in northern Telangana continue to face irrigation challenges.

In his letter, Dr. Dasoju outlined ten key demands, including amending government orders to require the sub-committee to submit its report within 15 days, issuing a detailed white paper on drought management expenditures, making information about the Kaleshwaram project and power sector operations public, officially declaring drought-affected mandals, and implementing immediate relief packages, input subsidies, and drinking water security measures for farmers.

He emphasized that the government cannot evade its constitutional responsibilities by merely labeling the crisis as a natural disaster. Dr. Dasoju urged the state government to act transparently and take immediate effective measures to assist those affected by the drought.