Telangana: Uttam Kumar Reddy claims that Kaleshwaram project collapsed in four years

Telangana Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy termed the Kaleshwaram Project a failure, citing Rs 87,449 crore spent with poor water output and structural issues. He accused the BRS government of bypassing approvals and stressed Congress aims to reveal the truth

Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged on Sunday that the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project was executed without Cabinet approval and failed to deliver the desired results despite an expenditure of Rs 87,449 crore.

Initiating a discussion on the PC Ghose Commission report on the Kaleshwaram Project in the Legislative Assembly, he termed the project a failure, even in terms of creating new ayacut. The Medigadda Barrage, along with Sundilla and Annaram, was not in use for the past 20 months, with structural issues emerging as early as 2019, he alleged, also claiming that the Medigadda Barrage collapsed on October 21, 2023, due to six pillars “giving way”.

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Quoting the NDSA report, he attributed the collapse to poor construction quality and overcapacity storage. According to the Minister, the Kaleshwaram Project lifted only 162 TMC of water over five years, of which 30 TMC was released back into the sea, leaving just 101 TMC for actual use, an average of 20 TMC per year. He also alleged that the BRS government proceeded with the Medigadda Barrage construction despite a prior committee deeming the site unsuitable and before the WAPCOS report was received. Alleging that the BRS government bypassed the Central Water Commission approvals and awarded contracts prematurely, he said the NDSA also identified construction and quality lapses as key reasons for the “collapse”.

Addressing interruptions from BRS leaders during his speech, Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed the Congress government had no vendetta against the Kaleshwaram Project and said the Justice PC Ghose Commission had conducted a transparent inquiry, examining three barrages and questioning key BRS leaders, including K Chandrashekar Rao, T Harish Rao and the then Finance Minister Etala Rajender.

He dismissed claims that there was no water availability at Tummidihatti to complete the Pranahita Chevella project as designed earlier by the previous Congress government, calling such arguments totally false. He reiterated that the Congress government’s aim was to uncover the truth, not to engage in political vendettas.

The Irrigation Minister also claimed that despite Kaleshwaram being a “failure”, Telangana achieved record crop production without relying on Kaleshwaram water. The Minister alleged that the BRS government’s mismanagement had caused permanent damage to Telangana, leaving the State with a dysfunctional mega-project and a legacy of financial and structural mismanagement.