The attack came the same day it became public that the Central Water Commission said the barrage was “useless” in its current condition.
File photo of the Kaleshwaram project. (Supplied)
Union Tourism Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Friday, 3 October, demanded that the state’s Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao take responsibility for the construction of the Medigadda Barrage, which resulted in the sinking of a few pillars recently.
He added that KCR — also the BRS chief — should not blame engineers and others. He and other senior BJP leaders are now expected to visit the barrage on Saturday.
The attack on KCR came the same day it became public that the Central Water Commission (CWC) had written to the Telangana government that the Medigadda Barrage was “useless” in its current condition, and needed to be fully rehabilitated.
కేసీఆర్లో నీతి, నిజాయితి ఉంటే.. మేడిగడ్డ బ్యారేజీ వైఫల్యానికి నైతిక బాధ్యత వహించాలి.
— G Kishan Reddy (Modi Ka Parivar) (@kishanreddybjp) November 3, 2023
Interacting with media persons after launching a new media centre in Somajiguda, Reddy underscored the need for a comprehensive probe into the issue related to the barrage, which was constructed as part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
The ruling BRS government was yet to respond on the future of the barrage after its piers got sunk, he said.
If the BJP was voted to power in the 30 November Assembly elections, a detailed probe would be ordered into the barrage issue and necessary action would be taken against those responsible for it — including the chief minister, ministers, and officials, he added.
Reddy also pointed to the serious observations made by the National Dam Safety Authority in its report after inspecting the barrage.
He asked the incumbent Telangana government to furnish further details required by the Union government, and said that if the details were not furnished, it must be considered a serious offence.
The Centre asked for information related to 22 issues pertaining to the barrage. Of them, the state government responded to only 11 issues, he said, terming the state government’s statement that it did not have barrage’s information as unfortunate.
The piers sunk because of the chief minister’s attitude alone, as he failed to heed the suggestions made by the engineers, said Reddy.
Substandard-quality sand was used to construct the barrage, which would become useless if sufficient water was not stored in it, he added.
According to Kishan Reddy, a farmer was getting only ₹40,000 per acre from the KLIS project, while ₹85,000 per acre was being spent on project maintenance.
Going by the huge difference, one might construe that the project was undertaken for commissions or for contractors, he said.
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