The chief minister said he wanted those found guilty of irregularities in the project's construction to be brought to book and punished.
Published Sep 01, 2025 | 8:43 AM ⚊ Updated Sep 01, 2025 | 8:43 AM
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alongside other ministers.
Synopsis: The Telangana government referred the case related to the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to the CBI. The decision followed an intense and heated debate in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on the report by the Justice PC Ghose Commission.
The Telangana government, led by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, referred the case related to the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme to the CBI.
The decision followed an intense and heated debate in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on the report by the Justice PC Ghose Commission, which stretched into the early hours of Monday, 1 September.
The Commission investigated “irregularities and illegalities” in the project’s construction under the previous BRS government and submitted its report to the state government on 31 July. The state Cabinet approved the Ghose Commission report on 4 August, and the report was tabled in the Assembly on 31 August.
Revanth Reddy, building an argument painstakingly for more than an hour, said he was referring the case to the CBI because the project’s construction involved the participation of many agencies. They included central agencies like WAPCOS, PFC, and REC. Several state and interstate issues were also involved.
The chief minister said he wanted those found guilty of irregularities in the project’s construction to be brought to book and punished. He stated that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), Vigilance, CAG, and now the PC Ghose Commission have flagged several irregularities in the project’s construction.
If the inquiry is entrusted to any other agency, there is a likelihood of his intentions being suspected, and therefore, the investigation is being referred to the CBI.
The PC Ghose Commission’s findings included negligence, hiding facts, and financial irregularities in the construction of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages. The commission indicted the BRS government for poor planning and execution. The chief minister also referred to how thoroughly the NDSA reported issues. It said the Medigadda barrage was damaged due to flawed planning, poor design, and weak quality control.
Revanth Reddt explained the project’s financial burden. The Kaleshwaram Corporation borrowed ₹85,449 crore, including ₹27,738 crore from PFC at 11.5 percent interest and ₹30,536 crore from other lenders at 12 percent interest.
So far, ₹19,879 crore of the principal and ₹29,956 crore in interest have been paid, totalling ₹49,835 crore. A debt of ₹60,869 crore remains unpaid. An additional ₹47,000 crore is needed to complete the project.
The chief minister slammed the previous BRS government for “looting” the state exchequer of ₹1 lakh crore under the guise of redesigning the project. He claimed that the design of the Pranahita Chevella Project, conceived during the Congress regime in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh, was changed to the Kaleshwaram Project with malicious intent.
“Former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao had turned the Kaleshwaram Project into a white elephant,” the chief minister said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
