Medigadda repair works remain in limbo
Restoration of the Medigadda barrage under KLIS faces delays due to disputes over responsibility, pending geotechnical studies and cost escalation. Officials indicate repair work may not begin before next year, raising concerns over project delays and impact on farmers
Hyderabad: The restoration of the Medigadda barrage, which is part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), continues to remain in limbo. Official sources admitted that major repair works could be delayed until next January due to a deadlock over responsibility for taking up repair works, coupled with delays in geotechnical investigations.
After blaming the previous BRS government for flawed designs leading to structural damage to the Medigadda barrage, the Congress government has remained indifferent to taking up repair works initially. Only after repeated push from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), the government constituted teams to take up extensive geotechnical investigations, which are required before finalising repair designs.
This involves drilling up to 500 boreholes across Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. Officials said drilling a single borehole takes at least five days, and the process must be carried out cautiously to avoid further structural damage.
Given the scale of work, experts estimated that geotechnical studies alone could take 10 to 18 months. With monsoon constraints and limited working windows, officials warned that full-scale repair work may not begin until January next year, effectively delaying the project by another cycle.
Adding to the uncertainty is confusion over the scope of investigations, with differing views between NDSA recommendations and recent suggestions by its chairman. The State government is insisting that tests must cover all blocks, not just the damaged section.
Meanwhile, the delay in executing repair works has escalated the costs, which are now estimated at Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,200 crore, with Medigadda barrage repair alone reportedly requiring over Rs 700 crore. Due to cost escalation, the contract agency L&T, which initially expressed readiness to take up the works, is learnt to be now insisting on a fresh agreement. The government cancelled the completion certificate issued to the contractor earlier, but is yet to enforce accountability.
Though Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy repeatedly claimed that repair works would commence before the monsoon this year, there is little progress at the execution level. Nearly two years have been lost in back-and-forth exchanges between the department, project engineers and the construction firm, with no tangible progress on the ground.
Even after repeated instructions from the Irrigation department and the Engineer-in-Chief (ENC), a final notice is yet to be issued to the contractor. Sources revealed that multiple letters, including a detailed communication enclosing over 30 correspondences, have gone unanswered.
The Vigilance Department, which flagged 13 irregularities last year, has now sought an action-taken report, raising concerns over continued inaction. With delays mounting and responsibility still disputed, the Medigadda restoration appears to be stuck in a cycle of indecision, which will continue to have severe impact on farmers.
