The government in Hyderabad has ordered searches by the Vigilance and Enforcement wing in the offices of the irrigation and Kaleshwaram project. These searches are part of the preliminary investigation into an alleged multi-crore scam in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project. Around 12 Vigilance teams have conducted searches and seized classified documents from the offices. They have also questioned officials about the project planning, execution, and expenditure.
During the searches, there was some tension between the Vigilance wing and irrigation officials at the Jala Soudha office of the Irrigation department. Each Vigilance team consisted of 12 members and they first demanded documents from Engineer-in-Chief Muralidharan, Kaleshwaram ENC, and Kaleshwaram Corporation MD Hariram. Initially, the officials hesitated to hand over the documents, suspecting vested interests. However, after receiving permission from Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, the ENC office provided details of the projects to the Vigilance team.
The search teams also requested more information about the Medigadda barrage, specifically regarding a pier that recently sank. One team visited the Divisional Engineering Office in Mahadevpur and seized documents related to the Medigadda and Kannepalli pumphouses.
These searches mark the beginning of a more thorough investigation into irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project. Once there is sufficient evidence, the government plans to order a judicial probe to expose any wrongdoing by the previous government in the construction of the Rs 1 lakh crore project. The Irrigation minister has already sent a letter to the High Court Chief Justice requesting a judicial probe by a sitting judge.
ENC Muralidharan assured that the Irrigation officials are cooperating fully and providing all relevant documents to the Vigilance team.
