Kaleshwaram built on expert advice, not political whim, says Harish Rao; presents facts to counter Congress allegations

BRS leader Harish Rao strongly defended the Kaleshwaram project, saying it was approved by experts and central agencies. He accused the Congress government of spreading misinformation for political gains and vowed to counter all allegations with facts and records

Hyderabad: Former Irrigation Minister and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao on Tuesday came out with a strong defence of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), countering what he called ‘baseless allegations’ by the Congress government.

Making a fact-based presentation supported with multiple documents, he said the Congress government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy were deliberately distorting facts around Kaleshwaram to mislead the public ahead of the local body polls.

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In a detailed presentation titled “Congress conspiracies on Kaleshwaram project: Commission distortions, facts” at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao defended the project as a historic achievement backed by expert advice, Cabinet resolutions and statutory approvals from not one or two, but 11 Central agencies.

“Revanth Reddy is running a political serial, cooking up reports without facts and trying to tarnish KCR’s legacy,” he said, questioning the selective leak of the Ghose Commission’s 665-page report to the media before any official and the release of a truncated version to ‘peddle a one-sided and baseless’ narrative.

Tummidi Hatti Unviable

In the point-by-point rebuttal, the former Irrigation Minister asserted that the decision to shift the original barrage site from Tummidi Hatti to Medigadda was not political, but a well-considered decision based on expert advice. The Central Water Commission (CWC), under the then NDA government, had clearly stated that Tummidi Hatti would not ensure sufficient water availability (160 TMC). This was also acknowledged in a written communication by then Union Minister Uma Bharati.

“It was precisely this reason that led to the shift to Medigadda as the more viable location, based on scientific and hydrological assessments. The same change was mentioned in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) approved by CWC,” he said, pointing out that the then Maharashtra government had refused to permit the proposed Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 152 metres at Tummidi Hatti, making it impractical to pursue the location.

Medigadda most suitable site

A retired engineer’s committee had submitted a sworn affidavit to the Kaleshwaram Commission confirming that Medigadda was the most technically suitable site, based on a LIDAR survey conducted by WAPCOS. Their report, referenced on pages 7 and 8 of the affidavit, clarified that objections to the earlier plan were based on the presence of coal mines and topographic challenges, which made direct water transfer unfeasible.

Harish Rao stated that the entire re-engineering process was undertaken based on recommendations from a team of retired engineers.

“The retired engineers committee had only advised against direct water pumping from Medigadda to Mid Manair due to the presence of coal mines and topographical challenges. As per the committee’s recommendations, all design modifications were done and opted to pump water to Yellampally, leading to the river-based route via Annaram and Sundilla,” he explained.

Not KCR’s solo decisions

Rebutting the charge that the project lacked Cabinet approval, the senior BRS legislator presented records showing Cabinet resolutions passed on June 14, 2016, May 27, 2018, and August 1, 2021, endorsing the re-engineered design and components of KLIP.

“The claim that there was no Cabinet approval is a blatant lie aimed at misleading the public,” he said, adding that both the then Telangana Cabinet and the State legislature had ratified the Kaleshwaram design and its components.

Dismissing allegations over lack of approvals, he said the Kaleshwaram project had secured clearances from 11 central government agencies, including the CWC, within one year.

“There is nothing secret in this project. Every detail is there in the DPR, and even the expert committee advised the Medigadda alignment,” he clarified. On the issue of a single pillar sinking at Medigadda, Harish Rao dismissed the Congress narrative that the entire project was faulty.

“There are 225 pillars across the three barrages. Isolated damage cannot be used to malign an entire project,” he remarked. He pointed out that similar or worse incidents, such as the repeated breaches of the Polavaram project, did not attract the same swift response from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), whereas it rushed to Medigadda over a single pillar issue.

“Why didn’t the NDSA go to Polavaram, which collapsed three times? This is a politically motivated witch-hunt,” he said.

Reiterating that the allegations were purely politically motivated, the former Irrigation Minister said the Congress had failed to secure even a single permission for the Pranahita-Chevella Sujala Sravanthi scheme during their 10-year tenure in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, despite having its governments at the Centre, erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

Harish Rao warned that once the Commission’s full report was tabled in the Assembly, the BRS would expose its falsehoods point by point before the people of Telangana.

“The Commission’s report stands on one-sided views, ignoring expert findings and cabinet approvals. Either they are misguided, or they have deliberately misled,” he said.

He reaffirmed that Kaleshwaram was conceived as a 100-year vision to ensure Telangana’s water security, executed with expert advice and cleared by all necessary agencies, vowing to defend the project against political attacks.