Hyderabad: The Justice PC Ghose Commission, investigating the Kaleshwaram project, reprimanded irrigation officials for not providing necessary information about the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages. These barrages have reportedly been damaged due to poor construction, operation, and maintenance.
Senior irrigation engineer Satyanarayana Reddy explained the construction details of the project and the reasons for modifying the design of the Annaram barrage after its approval. However, when questioned by the Ghose Commission, another engineer, Dayakar Reddy, gave unclear responses.
The engineers admitted that officials from the Central Design Organisation (CDO) were part of the High Power Committee overseeing the project. They also mentioned that site visits should not be conducted before finalizing the designs. The officials informed the commission that the locations of the Annaram and Sundilla barrages were changed. However, retired engineers clarified that the location of the Medigadda barrage remained unchanged.
The engineers further revealed that both CDO and L&T had prepared separate designs for the barrages, all of which were submitted for final approval. They assured the commission that there were no problems with the designs of the three barrages, and that the designs complied with the established rules.
Former State Water Resources Development Corporation Chairman, V Prakash, spoke to the media after meeting the Commission. He stated that the Kaleshwaram project was built to provide irrigation water to 37 lakh acres. Prakash also mentioned that senior engineer Raghu and Jalshakti Ministry Advisor V Sriram had misrepresented issues related to the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Prakash said he filed an affidavit before the commission, which also discussed the construction details of the Tummidihatti project. He conveyed to the commission the objections raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) regarding Tummidihatti. The commission indicated that they would review the affidavit and call him again for further discussions. Prakash emphasized that he is demanding punishment for those responsible for the issues.
