Hyderabad: The Telangana Cabinet on Monday reviewed the Justice P.C. Ghose Commission report on irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy briefed the media following the meeting, outlining serious lapses in planning, financing, and execution under the previous BRS government led by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao (KCR).
Reddy stated that the initial project design near Thummadihatti aimed to irrigate 1.6 million acres at a cost of Rs 38,000 crore. However, after KCR assumed power, the designs were significantly altered. Loans totaling Rs 84,000 crore were raised from non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) at high interest rates, leading to alleged financial mismanagement.
The 605-page Ghose Commission report, condensed to 25 pages by a panel of officials, along with findings from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), highlighted fundamental flaws in the design, construction, and maintenance of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages. The report confirmed that structural issues at Medigadda existed before the current administration took office and attributed public fund mismanagement to the previous regime.
Reddy further disclosed that a 2016 expert committee formed by KCR had advised against constructing the Medigadda barrage at its current site, but the recommendation was disregarded. The Cabinet has submitted its resolutions to the commission as part of the ongoing probe into the project’s failures.