Kaleshwaram studies miss deadline again, restoration faces fresh delay

The Telangana government has extended key investigations for the damaged Kaleshwaram barrages from May-end to early July, raising concerns over restoration timelines. While the government maintains that repairs will be completed by summer 2027, technical studies and approvals remain pending

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has missed yet another deadline in the restoration of the damaged Kaleshwaram barrages, extending the completion of critical investigations and technical studies from May 31 to the first week of July. This could impact the completion of restoration works for which the State government has set June 2027 as deadline.

The delayed investigations could push back the preparation of designs, approvals and the commencement of rehabilitation works. The barrages have remained largely unused since the damage in October 2023.

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After reviewing progress at the project site on Wednesday, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the remaining hydrological studies, Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) tests, geotechnical borehole investigations and other technical assessments were being carried out on a fast-track basis. He said detailed restoration designs would be prepared and submitted to the Central Water Commission (CWC) and National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) once the studies are completed.

Despite the slippage, Uttam Kumar Reddy maintained that the government was committed to restoring the barrages by the summer of 2027. He said preliminary investigations have already been completed, while repair and restoration works are expected to begin only after the monsoon season, possibly in late November or early December, after obtaining necessary approvals.

The Minister renewed the Congress government’s criticism of the previous BRS regime, alleging that changes made to the original Pranahita-Chevella project led to escalating costs and technical deficiencies. He claimed the project cost rose from the original estimate of Rs 38,000 crore to over Rs 1 lakh crore and could eventually touch Rs 1.45 lakh crore as per CAG estimates.

He said Colonel Parikshit Mehra, an experienced officer with strong technical expertise, had been appointed Chairman of the Revival Coordination Team to guide and monitor the restoration process.