A political altercation unfolded on Thursday, February 27, as former minister T Harish Rao and other Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders were prevented from visiting the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse site. The incident, which occurred in Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district on February 22, has left eight workers trapped inside the partially collapsed structure.
Despite their insistence on having the requisite permission, the police denied entry to Harish Rao and his delegation, leading to a verbal confrontation. Following this, BRS leaders, including Jagadish Reddy and Srinivas Goud, staged a protest.
Harish Rao accused the Congress-led state government, particularly Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, of instructing officials to bar their visit. “Did Revanth Reddy call you and ask you to stop me? I know that Revanth Reddy is behind this. DG Intelligence must have called you,” Rao was heard saying to the police.
Earlier in the day, Harish Rao addressed the media, stating that his visit was intended to offer expertise and suggestions to accelerate the ongoing rescue efforts. However, the incident has been politicised, with both the Congress and BRS blaming each other for the disaster.
Munugode MLA and Congress leader Komatireddy Rajagopal, who visited the site, criticised BRS leaders for making allegations during a crisis. “While we are focused on rescuing the trapped workers with the help of experts from across the country, BRS is engaged in baseless accusations,” he stated. He further blamed the previous BRS government for negligence in handling the project, claiming that lapses during their tenure led to the accident.
A day earlier, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy convened a meeting with the officials at the mouth of the tunnel. He later announced that the rescue would be completed in two days. The Minister, who is reviewing the situation with officials of agencies involved in the rescue operation, declared that the rescue mission was in its final stages.