Hyderabad, April 24 -- Terming BRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao's assertion that the previous government led by him had stabilised 30 to 40 lakh acres of ayacut through Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) as a 'blatant lie', irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that on the contrary, only 1,35,000 acres per year ayacut was stabilised.

Countering the claims made by Chandrasekhar Rao during a marathon four-hour interview with a Telugu news channel on Tuesday on irrigation, paddy procurement, and power projects, Uttam gave a power point presentation in Hyderabad on Wednesday, April 24.

Citing a report by an expert committee of retired engineers that had suggested against drawing Godavari water from Medigadda, calling it unviable,...