K Chandrasekhar Rao faces Medigadda barrage probe: First ex-CM to depose before judicial commission; in-camera hearing held due to health
HYDERABAD: BRS president and ex-CM K Chandrasekhar Rao appeared before Justice (Retd) Pinaki Chandra Ghose's one-man commission of inquiry on Wednesday.
The commission summoned him as part of the ongoing probe into the sinking of some piers of Block 7 of Medigadda and damages in Annaram and Sundilla barrages, part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
KCR is the first ex-CM to appear before any judicial commission of inquiry both in Telangana and in erstwhile AP.
He was asked to depose before the commission as the Kaleshwaram project was constructed during the BRS rule and KCR was CM.
The commission allowed an in-camera examination of KCR as he said he was unwell and didn't want people around him. PC Ghose accepted his request and conducted the in-camera hearing.
The commission reportedly asked him about issues such as the shifting of the Kaleshwaram project's main source from Thummdihatti to Medigadda, cabinet approvals for every decision taken by the govt pertaining to Kaleshwaram, storing the water to the full capacity of barrages and other issues.
Judge Ghose also asked him about floating a special purpose vehicle (SPV), Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Corporation, to raise loans for the project, etc.
Meanwhile, hundreds of BRS leaders and party workers came to BRKR Bhavan, where the commission's office is located.
Former ministers T Harish Rao, Vemula Prashant Reddy, Mohd Mahmood
Ali
, MPs Vaddiraju Ravichandra, Joginapally Santosh Kumar, and others accompanied KCR to the commission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
7 hours ago
- Hans India
One month after Sigachi tragedy, ex-gratia still eludes victims' kin
Hyderabad: BRS senior leader T Harish Rao today demanded monthly remuneration for the families of victims of the Sigachi fire accident in Pashamylaram, alleging that despite one month having passed, the Rs 1 crore ex-gratia announced by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has yet to reach them. Harish Rao visited the Sangareddy Collectorate along with the grieving families of the Sigachi fire tragedy victims, where he met the Additional Collector, questioning the government's complete failure in handing over bodies and providing compensation. Leading a protest rally to the Collectorate, Harish Rao stated that nearly a month had passed since the Sigachi incident, yet the affected families were still observing monthly mourning rituals. He pointed out that while the Chief Minister had visited and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 crore for each deceased victim, not a single family had received any funds, even after a month. Families, he added, were not even given the bodies for final rites; some reportedly received only ashes, which they immersed in the Godavari River. Such a horrific industrial disaster, claiming 54 lives, had never occurred before in united Andhra Pradesh or in Telangana, yet the government's response has been 'utterly inhumane and irresponsible.' Harish Rao condemned the alleged insensitivity of officials, stating, 'When families ask for ex-gratia and death certificates, officials coldly say 'At least you got ashes. In the SLBC incident, even that wasn't available.' What kind of inhuman behaviour is this?' He noted that families from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh had reportedly spent between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 merely to travel and stay in Hyderabad. The Chief Minister announced Rs 1 crore compensation, but 'when, by whom, and how? No one has an answer,' he said, adding that many victims were still undergoing treatment. While the Chief Minister promised Rs 10 lakh for the severely injured, only Rs 50,000 was allegedly paid, and the matter closed. The BRS leader demanded Rs 50 lakh for the critically injured and a monthly salary for their sustenance. Rao highlighted that it was an NGO, 'Scientists for People,' that eventually filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking compensation for victims. He questioned why, even after a month, the government had not officially released the number of dead or injured. 'Why is the government hiding the names of the deceased, the compensation paid, and the help extended to the injured?' he demanded. The BRS leader further asked why the government had not revealed the real cause behind this disaster, stating that the committee appointed by the Chief Minister had seemingly 'vanished.' He concluded that even after a month and 54 deaths, no action had been taken against the company. Stating that the Chief Minister's 'irresponsibility on such a serious matter was unacceptable,' the BRS leader urged the Chief Minister to 'open his eyes before it's too late.'
Hans India
7 hours ago
- Hans India
Harish Rao is making false allegations, says Cong
Hyderabad: The Chairman of State Food Corporation MA Faheem accused BRS leader Harish Rao of making false allegations regarding the State government's handling of a fire accident at the Sigachi Industries Limited factory in Pashamylaram. He accused Harish Rao of playing politics over dead bodies. Speaking to media persons, he said that the government was doing its best to provide compensation to the families of those who died in the Sigachi industry fire. He explained that 46 families have been provided with compensation of Rs 1 lakh, while 15 people have received compensation of 10 lakh. The Food Corporation chairman said that as soon as the Sigachi incident happened, the authorities reached the scene. 'Health Minister Damodara Rajanarsimha and Medak In-charge Minister Vivek Venkat Swamy rushed to the scene. Harish Rao and KTR are speaking falsehoods about the government,' he said, accusing BRS leaders of spreading misinformation. 'I have collected the details of the compensation received by the victims from the district authorities. We gave 15 lakh each to the families of missing. People are being misled with false information. These leaders are trying to defame the present government,' he pointed out.
NDTV
14 hours ago
- NDTV
Phone-Tapping Rampant Under Revanth Reddy, Alleges Opposition Leader
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and former IPS officer RS Praveen Kumar has lodged a formal complaint with the police levelling serious allegations against Telangana's Congress government. In the complaint, he has alleged widespread phone tapping under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's administration. Praveen Kumar was among the first to complain about his phone being tapped during the previous BRS government. He has also appeared before the Special Investigation Team that is probing the alleged phone tapping. While the SIT's primary focus has been on surveillance under the former BRS government, Praveen Kumar has used the opportunity to expand the scope of the investigation. He has claimed that the present Congress government is utilizing "high-end dark web tools" to illegally intercept the communications of its own ministers, opposition leaders, and even businessmen. He has submitted a written complaint to the SIT, reportedly including video evidence of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy allegedly admitting to surveillance. Praveen Kumar cited instances where Mr Reddy reportedly knew about private conversations between ministers, later confronting one of them with the details. He questioned how such information could have been accessed without illicit phone tapping. He also alleged that a journalist was reprimanded by the Chief Minister for speaking to another BRS leader, again raising suspicions of surveillance. The BRS leader also pointed to media reports suggesting that malware had been planted on ministers' devices to intercept calls and messages. He urged the SIT to summon the affected ministers and conduct forensic examinations of their phones to uncover the truth. The complaint from Praveen Kumar adds a new dimension to the already complex phone-tapping investigation in Telangana. Previously, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had stated his willingness to cooperate with the SIT if he received a notice, emphasizing that while phone tapping itself isn't illegal, strict procedures must be followed. The BRS has been vocal in demanding a High Court-monitored inquiry into the phone-tapping allegations and has called for the government to submit a sealed list to the court detailing whose phones are being tapped. They have emphasized Section 5 of the Telegraph Act, which only permits phone tapping in the interest of national security. The SIT now faces the challenging task of investigating not only the alleged phone tapping during the previous administration, but also the fresh accusations of ongoing surveillance under the current government, making the probe even more politically charged.
