Judicial Enquiry Soon Into Kaleshwaram Project Scam: Uttam

Hyderabad, December 30: Alleging serious defects in design, construction and operations, Irrigation Minister Capt N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the state government would initiate a judicial enquiry into the Kaleshwaram project and punish those responsible for the Medigadda barrage incident would have to face consequences of the law.

Uttam Kumar Reddy, along with Ministers D. Sridhar Babu, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, and Ponnam Prabhakar, MLC Jeevan Reddy, and Chennuru MLA Vivek Venkataswamy, reached Medigadda in a special helicopter to inspect the Medigadda Barrage on Friday.

Engineer-in-Chief C. Muralidhar gave a 108-page PowerPoint presentation on the Kaleshwaram project, including a detailed description of damages caused to Medigadda and Annaram barrages.

“As the government, we can only say that we are alarmed, deeply concerned. The Kaleshwaram project or investment of Rs 1 lakh crore of people of Telangana is based on three barrages – Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla. For whatever reason, the pier foundation of Medigadda barrage has sunk, Annaram has developed leaks and cracks, and Sundilla has also suffered damage. The inquiry and investigation, repair works will happen. This will make the project non-operational or less operational for a period of time,” said Uttam Kumar Reddy in his first reaction after the hour-long presentation.

“As of now, the total cost of the Kaleshwaram project is Rs 1.27 lakh crore, and we don’t know how much more it will cost. The financial burden on Telangana due to the Kaleshwaram project will be Rs 15,000 crore a year. Nearly Rs 10,000 crore bills are already pending with the irrigation department,” he said.

“Our suspicions and fears regarding the Kaleshwaram project’s design, quality, construction, viability, and sustainability have come true. We raised those doubts in the Assembly and also in Parliament. But the then BRS Govt highlighted the project as the world’s largest project. Due to the damage to the Medigadda and Annaram barrages, the SRSP Phase-2 ayacut will be reduced in this crop. This is a complete misuse of public money and the result of massive corruption. The Congress Government will not spare anyone involved in the Kaleshwaram scam,” he announced.

He mentioned that the previous Congress Government had proposed the Pranahita Chevella Project to irrigate 16 lakh acres of land, with an expenditure of Rs 38,000 crore. The project could have been completed with minor sub-merging in Maharashtra. However, the BRS Government redesigned the project by changing the location to Kaleshwaram without a scientific approach. He said the project was shifted from Pranahita to Kaleshwaram because of political and selfish monetary considerations. Initially proposed at Rs 80,000 crore, the project’s cost escalated to a whopping Rs 1.27 lakh crore. So far, Rs 95,000 crore has been spent without the approval of the Central Water Commission, and the ayacut is not even one lakh acres. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has also made serious remarks about this project. Huge loans were borrowed to complete the project, burdening it not only with interest but also maintenance costs, he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy deemed it highly shameful that such a significant project collapsed within three years of construction. He highlighted the collapse of the Medigadda pillars on October 21, criticizing former CM Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao for not speaking about the incident for almost 40 days until he lost the post. Irrigation authorities barred access to the area and closed the barrage on both sides of Medigadda. He insisted that those responsible for the damage should be held accountable.

He informed that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had ordered a judicial inquiry into the project, and a comprehensive investigation is underway. The findings will be reported to the Chief Minister for further action.

He said on July 11, 2019, when he asked a question in Parliament on the national project status for the Kaleswaram project, the Centre replied by saying that the State Government did not apply for it. However, he said that the Congress Government would fight for the national status for the Palamuru Rangareddy project. He also announced that the Congress Government would take up the Pranahita project again and put it into use.

He also expressed concern over the huge storage capacity of 16 TMC Medigadda barrage. He said water is stored in dams while barrages are designed with a capacity of just 2-3 TMC to regulate the flow. Due to this flaw, the entire concept, design, and construction failed, putting over Rs 1 lakh crore belonging to the people of Telangana at risk.

Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy stated that if the Pranahita project were built at Tummadihatti, Telangana would have greatly benefited from gravity irrigation. Due to the failures of the previous BRS government, Telangana has suffered. He alleged that low-quality motors were installed in the pump houses and emphasized the need for a detailed investigation into all aspects of the project.

Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar inquired about the actual ayacut and the maintenance costs, including the electricity bill.

Industries Minister Sridhar Babu insisted that the Irrigation authorities should explain to the people of Telangana what actually happened on the day when the Medigadda pillars were crippled. He called for transparency, urging officials to provide technical explanations to address suspicions raised by dam safety officials. He clarified that there is no animosity towards engineers and officers, emphasizing the importance of informing the public about the technical aspects of the incident.

Sridhar Babu raised a crucial question, inquiring about the quantity of water lifted over the past five years. He emphasized that one TMC of water could potentially cultivate 10,000 acres. Furthermore, he highlighted a discrepancy in the representation of electricity costs, where the actual rate of Rs 6.40 per unit was falsely shown as Rs 3. Consequently, the calculated average cost per acre amounted to Rs 46,000, falling significantly short of half the income. Sridhar Babu expressed concern, asserting that the Kaleshwaram project is consuming about 90 per cent of the state’s generated electricity.He also voiced apprehensions about potential seismic risks arising from the storage of 50 TMC of water at Mallanna Sagar. Seeking clarification on the operation of the large pumps employed for pumping, he pointed out perceived injustices against farmers in Ambatipalli, Suraram, and Medigadda. Additionally, Sridhar Babu highlighted the lack of compensation for flood-affected areas in Manthani and Chennur. Proposing a comprehensive investigation, he suggested the involvement of a third-party agency to scrutinize all project activities. (Maxim News)

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