Blame game in Telangana over SLBC tunnel collapse, CM Revanth calls it KCR’s ‘sin’

Amid criticism from BRS and BJP over the SLBC tunnel collapse, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy visited the site on March 2, nine days after the accident

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy visited the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel on March 2, nine days after the tunnel collapsed and trapped eight men, who are now feared dead. On March 1, authorities announced that the positions of four of the eight trapped individuals have been traced using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), and that they would be brought out by the evening of March 2. The tunnel is located at Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district.

Speaking at a public meeting in Wanaparthy on March 2, CM Revanth blamed Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) chief and former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao for the incident, alleging that the previous government had caused undue delays in the irrigation project, which eventually led to the accident.

Addressing KCR, CM Revanth said, “You delayed our projects… Because works were stalled, today the roof collapsed and eight people died. Isn’t this sin yours, KCR?”

Revanth also blamed KCR for cooperating with the Andhra Pradesh government’s Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme on the Krishna River, alleging that Telangana’s share of the river water was unfairly going to the neighbouring state because of the project.

The collapse of the SLBC tunnel on February 22, and the more than week-long operation to rescue the eight trapped workers, has heated up politics in Telangana, with both BRS and BJP attacking the ruling Congress and blaming it for the tragedy.

The incident also sparked a fresh debate on the irrigation projects, with both BRS and Congress blaming each other for the inefficient handling of the irrigation sector.

The Congress government, which completed one year in office in December 2024, found itself on the back foot, with the opposition parties criticising it for allegedly endangering human lives by undertaking the project without proper planning.

The delay in rescuing the trapped workers due to the complex nature of the incident — which took place 14 kilometres into the under-construction tunnel — further exposed the government to criticism from the opposition.

Both the BRS and BJP also criticised CM Revanth for not visiting the accident site even once until March 2, nine days after the incident.

By visiting the tunnel, BRS and BJP leaders tried to mount further pressure on the government. They held the government responsible for the tragedy and termed the visits to the site by the ministers as a ‘picnic’.

BJP Legislature Party leader Alleti Maheshwar Reddy, on March 1, led a team of BJP MLAs to the tunnel and alleged that negligence by the Congress government had caused the mishap. He accused the government of taking no precautionary measures. “The government should explain what tests were conducted to assess the earth’s condition at the tunnel, which falls under the shear zone,” he said, adding that if the trapped individuals are found dead, the government must be held accountable.

While targeting the Congress government in the state, Maheshwar Redd further commended the BJP-led Union government for its swift response to the incident. He said that the Army, Navy, NDRF, and other central agencies were participating in relief operations on the orders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He also criticised Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy and other ministers for visiting the site by chopper every day, rather than camping there.

Earlier, BRS leaders, led by former minister T Harish Rao, visited the tunnel and blamed the government for the accident. He said that the pipe meant to supply oxygen was damaged due to debris, but the government made no effort to supply oxygen through a new pipe to the location where the eight persons were suspected to be trapped.

Uttam Kumar Reddy dismissed the BRS leaders’ visit as mere political theatrics. The minister pointed out that in 2020, during the Srisailam Left Bank Power Station blast, which claimed nine lives, no BRS leader visited the site. He recalled that when Revanth Reddy attempted to meet the victims’ families, he was arrested.

He further noted that when the Devadula Lift Irrigation Project tunnel was flooded, resulting in the deaths of seven workers, their remains were recovered only after five years. He questioned why Harish Rao had remained silent during those incidents