The government said it will fully cooperate with the CBI and directed departments to provide access to records, contracts, quality reports, and other documents required for the probe.
Published Sep 02, 2025 | 2:22 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 02, 2025 | 2:23 PM
The PC Ghose Commission’s findings included negligence, hiding facts, and financial irregularities in the construction of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram project.
Synopsis: The move follows the findings of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and observations made by the Commission of Inquiry into the project. Both highlighted lapses that caused huge financial losses to the state. The Telangana Assembly debated the issue before deciding to entrust the case to the CBI.
The Telangana government has formally handed over the probe into alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
A government order issued on 1 September gave the central agency full powers to investigate suspected corruption, siphoning of funds, and irregularities in the execution of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages of the KLIP.
The move follows the findings of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and observations made by the Commission of Inquiry into the project. Both highlighted lapses that caused huge financial losses to the state. The Telangana Assembly debated the issue before deciding to entrust the case to the CBI.
The GO by Special Chief Secretary for Home Department, Ravi Gupta, grants consent under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. This allows CBI officers to investigate all accused persons, including public servants, private contractors, and companies connected to the barrage works.
The order specifically relaxes earlier restrictions that limited central agency jurisdiction in such matters.
The government said it would extend full cooperation to the CBI and directed departments to provide access to records, contracts, quality reports, and other documents required for the probe. Copies of the order were sent to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi, the Union Ministries of Home Affairs and Personnel, the Telangana Director General of Police, and the Hyderabad Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI.
In a related but separate development, the Telangana High Court on Tuesday, 2 September, prohibited any coercive action against former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and T Harish Rao, who had held the irrigation portfolio in the BRS government.
The court was hearing their pleas, seeking to quash the PC Ghose Commission report on the alleged irregularities in the KLIP.
The Kaleshwaram project, billed as one of the largest lift irrigation schemes in the country, has been under a cloud ever since structural failures were detected at the Medigadda barrage, where piers sank after heavy inflows. The technical failures, coupled with allegations of inflated costs and misuse of public money, triggered sharp political controversy in the state.
With the CBI stepping in, the investigation will now cover all aspects of the project, from planning and tendering to construction and financial management. The agency is expected to examine the role of officials, contractors, and consultants, while also looking into the quality of work and expenditure involved.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
