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Commission finds KCR solely responsible for Kaleshwaram ‘collapse'

Commission finds KCR solely responsible for Kaleshwaram ‘collapse'

The Hindu2 days ago
Intentional suppression of Expert Committee reports against Medigadda Barrage, dishonesty in shifting the water source point from Tummidihatti, abnormal escalation of the project costs, awarding of contracts on a lump sum basis, and hiding the decisions from the Cabinet pointed the fingers of 'criminality' towards former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao by the PC Ghose Commission on the Kaleshwaram project.
The Commission of Inquiry, led by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, held the then Chief Minister KCR primarily accountable for bypassing established procedures and ignoring expert advice, resulting in colossal public expenditure and infrastructure now in distress.
The Commission held KCR directly accountable for the irregularities and his involvement and directions minutely were the cause and result of the irregularities and the cause of distress to these three barrages. The then Minister for Irrigation T. Harish Rao, intentionally ignored the Expert Committee report while the then Finance Minister Eatala Rajender demonstrated lack of integrity in safeguarding the financial and economic health of Telangana, the report said.
Key IAS officers S.K.Joshi, then Principal Secretary to Government on Irrigation should be held liable for suppressing the Expert Committee Report and violating rules in administrative approvals while Smita Sabharwal, Secretary to Chief Minister was irresponsible in the discharge of her duties, the report said.
Crucially, the findings reveal that an Expert Committee, constituted in January 2015, had advised against constructing the Medigadda barrage due to high costs and time delays, recommending alternate sites like Vemanapally. But it was intentionally suppressed. The decision to construct the three barrages was not a collective Cabinet resolution but 'the sole and individual decision' of KCR.
The report said shifting the barrage location from Tummidihatti to Medigadda was not based on technical reasoning. Despite the scale of the decision, initial administrative approvals were not presented before the Cabinet. Adding to the irregularity, the Chief Minister wrote to the Prime Minister in February 2016, citing a project cost of ₹71,436 crore even before the submission of the Detailed Project Report by WAPCOS.
The project, initially conceived at ₹38,500 crore, was escalated to ₹71,436 crore for Kaleshwaram, and later saw revised administrative approvals totalling over ₹1.10 lakh crore by March 2022.
The report states that there was 'absolutely no operation and maintenance' of the barrages. The then Chief Minister had ordered continuous impounding of water to enable the pump house operation, an unscientific move as barrages are meant for diversion, not storage. The continuous water impoundment was the major factor leading to structural distress.
The report concluded that the issuance of Substantial Completion Certificates and Final Completion Certificates for Medigadda barrage was 'illegal and tainted with malice,' done to favour the contractors.
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