‘Medigadda collapse biggest man-made disaster in India’

Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday described the collapse of block 7 of the Medigadda barrage as "the biggest man-made disaster since Independence" and "the most expensive engineering failure by any state govt in India."
Citing the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report, the minister accused the previous BRS regime of systemic failures—from flawed design to financial mismanagement—throughout the Kaleshwaram project.

"Those who orchestrated this disaster will be held accountable. K Chandrasekhar Rao was CM and irrigation minister between 2018 and 2023," Uttam said at a press conference at the state secretariat, where he presented a power-point briefing on the NDSA's findings.
The 1 lakh crore Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, executed by the former BRS govt, has come under severe scrutiny after the sinking of Medigadda piers and structural issues at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages. Uttam emphasised that the consequences were not just financial. "This has caused gross injustice to the farmers of Telangana," he claimed.
The NDSA report, which detailed structural failures, safety violations, and non-existent maintenance protocols, exposed what Uttam called "engineered corruption."
‘KLIS constructions began before DPRs approved'
He pointed out that construction began even before detailed project reports were approved, and barrages were built at locations deviating several kilometres from sanctioned sites.
"These barrages were originally designed to regulate 2 tmc of water. But the former BRS govt stored over 10 to 12 tmc just for optics. That reckless publicity stunt caused the foundations to fail," he said.
"The execution of the Kaleshwaram project has severely damaged Telangana's credibility at the national level. When we recently sought clearance for the Sita Rama Sagar project, officials at the ministry of jal shakti declined to consider it, citing the collapse of our irrigation infrastructure," he said.
He also slammed KCR for questioning the credibility of the NDSA. "It is shameful. The NDSA is constituted under a law passed by Parliament. It includes top experts from across the country. Denying its authority is denying facts." Uttam said the cabinet will soon decide on further action based on the NDSA report. A judicial one-man commission headed by Justice PC Ghose has already been constituted to probe the matter.