Telangana ministers visit damaged barrage of Kaleshwaram project

Hyderabad, Dec 29 (IANS) Five ministers of Telangana's new Congress-led government on Friday inspected Medigadda barrage, a few of whose piers sunk recently, and alleged that their suspicions about Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project have proved to be correct. 

Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, who led the team of ministers, said that though the previous BRS government claimed that it is the world's largest irrigation project, unfortunately Medigadda barrage suffered damage and the then government did nothing to restore it. 

He said though the pier sank on October 21, then chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or irrigation minister neither reviewed the damage nor made a statement. 

After obtaining results from various investigations and the opinion of the expert committee, the restoration of Medigadda barrage will be taken up. 

He claimed that Annaram barrage has also developed cracks and sand erosion was noticed in the third barrage Sundilla. 

He mentioned that the entire project was dependent on these three projects. 

The minister said their visit was aimed at placing facts before people. 

He pointed out that a judicial inquiry has already been ordered into the irregularities. The ministers, who reached the barrage Jayashankar Bhupalapally by a helicopter from Hyderabad, made an aerial survey of the barrage. 

They later went around the barrage and inspected the damaged part. 

The group of ministers included Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy. 

Making a power-point presentation, irrigation department's Engineer-in-Chief C. Muralidhar said that one pier in the seventh block of Medigadda sank by 1.256 meters. 

He stated that the damage is still being assessed. 

Currently, coffer dam is being constructed and after completion of the work, it will be decided whether the damaged part of the barrage will have to be repaired or need reconstruction. 

The experts' committee has suggested that new gates will be required. 

Uttam Kumar Reddy recalled that during the Congress rule in united Andhra Pradesh, Pranahita Chevella project was designed at a cost of Rs 38,000 crore to irrigate 16.40 lakh acre. 

After formation of Telangana state, the BRS government changed the project design at Medigadda and so far, Rs 95,000 crore have been spent but only a lakh acre land was irrigated.

He said the public money was spent with utter negligence and the works were undertaken with poor quality. 

He also alleged that the previous government failed to get national project status for Kaleshwaram. 

Alleged corruption in the Kaleshwaram project was one of the major issues in the recently held Assembly elections. Both Congress and BJP had alleged large-scale corruption in the project. 

--IANS 

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