He said cracks developed in multiple pillars because of shoddy construction; reports indicated that the pillars are sinking.
Rahul Gandhi and Revanth Reddy at Medigadda Barrage. (X)
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s inspection of Medigadda (Lakshmi) Barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) on Thursday, 2 November — whose piers had sunk recently — has turned out into a slugfest between the grand old party and the BRS.
What set off trolling of Rahul Gandhi by the netizens and some BRS leaders was one of the pictures that he had released after his visit of the barrage. The photo showed TPCC president A Revanth Reddy pointing to an expansion joint which looked as though it was a crack on the bridge caused by the sinking of the piers.
The Congress has so far not countered the trolling.
The Wayanad MP visited the barrage amidst high drama with the police not allowing local leaders anywhere near the project.
Finally, when he along with Revanth Reddy was allowed, he walked till he reached the area of the bridge which had caved in somewhat. It was where the two leaders took a close look at the piers.
It appears it was then that Revanth Reddy showed to Rahul what appeared like a crack due to the sinking of the piers.
Kaleshwaram Project = KCR Family ATM
I visited the Medigadda barrage, which is a part of the corruption-ridden Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme in Telangana.
Cracks have developed in multiple pillars because of shoddy construction with reports indicating that the pillars are… pic.twitter.com/BWe8Td9mCq
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 2, 2023
Those trolling the Congress leader — mostly by pro-BRS handles — maintained that the gap between two spans of the bridge was intentionally left open to accommodate for expansion due to heat in summer and that Rahul was no engineer to know the significance of the gap and pass judgements on the quality of construction of the project.
Know the difference between Krack & Expansion joints @RahulGandhi ji!
Pleaee know the theme before you speak! pic.twitter.com/RXVH8kOHDU
— Akshay (@AkshayBRS) November 2, 2023
Rahul released the pictures along with his statement which read: “Kaleshwaram Project is KCR’s family ATM. I visited the Medigadda barrage, which is part of the corruption-ridden Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme in Telangana. Cracks have developed in multiple pillars because of shoddy construction with reports indicating that the pillars are sinking. KCR and his family are using the Kaleshwwaram Project as their personal ATM to plunder the people of Telangana.”
Gandhi, campaigning in Telangana, has been focusing on the alleged corruption of the KCR’s dispensation and cited the KLIS as an example of the greed of the ruling party. He alleged that KCR had the BJP’s tacit support for his wrongdoings.
The former AICC president set out early for Ambatpally, near Medigadda from Hyderabad. He addressed a group of women before leaving for the barrage.
The police initially did not allow the Congress leaders. The police said they would have no objection if Gandhi wanted to make an aerial inspection but clarified that he and his followers would not be allowed on the barrage to inspect the piers.
Later, the Jaishankar-Bhupalpally district collector, also the district election officer, gave Gandhi the go-ahead. He along with Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy inspected the barrage, and the officials who accompanied them explained how the piers sank after the silt around them had been washed away.
“KCR has plundered thousands of crores of rupees of public money by resorting to corruption in the execution of the KLIS. KCR has to face punishment for this crime. KCR has killed Kaleshwaram. Now Kaleshwaram will kill him,” Revanth Reddy later told media persons.
He claimed the engineers said the pillars had sunk to a depth of 2.5 metres. “Now, half of Medigadda has to be dismantled,” he said.
“We demand that criminal cases be registered against the engineers who were responsible for issuing clearances to the contractors who built the barrage. Annaram barrage is also going the Medigadda way,” he said.
As Gandhi was campaigning in the Mahbubnagar district on Wednesday, the news about the leakage of water from yet another barrage of the KLIS — Annaram (Saraswati) — broke out. Officials were trying to plug the breach with sandbags while letting out water simultaneously from the reservoir downstream through a vent to decrease the pressure of water on the barrage.
The news of the leak at Annaram appeared to have prompted Gandhi to make a personal visit to Medigdadda where the problem was severe, and the party sought the government’s permission on his behalf to inspect the barrage.
The police department, according to Congress sources, dragged its feet initially in according permission for Gandhi to fly down to the project site in a helicopter and undertake the inspection.
But the district Election Officer — also the collector of the Jaishankar-Bhupalpally district — allowed Gandhi to make a personal inspection of the bridge on Thursday morning.
Gandhi reached Ambatpally, a village close to the Medigadda project, and addressed a group of women.
He lashed out at the BRS government for resorting to monumental corruption in executing the Kaleshwaram project. He flayed the KCR government for looting the state to the tune of about ₹1 lakh crore. He said KLIS had become an ATM for the KCR family.
“KCR and his family had plundered the state’s wealth. Each family in the state is bearing a burden of the wealth that has been looted by the KCR’s family,” he said.
He vowed to recover the entire wealth that the chief minister and his family had robbed from the people and return it to them.
“That is why we have said that as soon as we come to power in the state, we will pay ₹2,500 to each woman in the state under the Mahalakshmi scheme,” he said.
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