HYDERABAD
Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has stated that the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) report on the Kaleshwaram Project was a direct indictment of the previous BRS government, exposing serious flaws in its design, construction and maintenance.
Speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of Bharat Summit here on Friday, he said: “BRS leaders should be ashamed. The NDSA report clearly states that the design was faulty, construction was faulty, operation and maintenance were faulty. Soil testing was not done properly and no proper geophysical investigations were conducted.”
Highlighting the findings of the report, he pointed out that the sand piping phenomenon, cavity formation underneath the raft, construction defects, design deficiencies, structural distress and other downstream damages had rendered Block-7 of the Medigadda Barrage unserviceable. The report had also found similar issues in other blocks as well, based on geophysical investigations that revealed cavity formation under multiple sections of the barrage.
The Minister accused the previous government of mortgaging Telangana’s future by borrowing over ₹1 lakh crore at high interest rates to build a project that failed under their own watch. They had claimed that they were creating wonders with Kaleshwaram. But the project designed and built by them had collapsed during their regime itself.
He said the key barrages — Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla — were barely functional, though the BRS government projected the project as a monumental success. “Despite these structures being non-functional, Telangana has achieved record paddy production during Vanakalam season with the resilience of our farmers and because of the failed structures”, he remarked.
Alleging that BRS leaders were misleading the public, he said they want to deceive the farmers yet again. Countering allegations that the NDSA report was politically motivated, he clarified that the NDSA was a central agency comprising the country’s top dam safety experts. He demanded a public apology from BRS leaders to the farmers of Telangana.
The Minister stated that the Congress government would thoroughly study the NDSA findings and would discuss it in detail during the next Cabinet meeting. Reiterating the government’s commitment to accountability, he declared that those who have betrayed Telangana farmers would be held accountable and they would not go unpunished.
Meanwhile, former minister and BRS leader G. Jagadish Reddy termed the report as another attempt to malign the previous government as NDSA had submitted the report only in the case of Medigadda/Kaleshwaram and not any other project referred to it.
Published - April 25, 2025 08:38 pm IST
