‘Engineers decided, cabinet okayed': KCR justifies KLIP nod

Time of India

a day ago

Hyderabad: Former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday appeared before Justice (Retd) P C Ghose commission, which is probing structural failures at the Medigadda barrage and damages at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages, and sought to firmly distance the political executive from any unilateral decision-making in Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
He asserted that all major decisions — ranging from the re-engineering of the project to the construction and operation of its key barrages — were made based on the recommendations of technical and expert committees and were formally approved by the state cabinet.
"This is a massive technical project, and every decision was taken by engineers, irrigation experts, and subject committees. The cabinet only gave formal policy sanction," he is believed to have told the commission.
KCR stressed that the then BRS govt acted on expert advice, followed due administrative procedures, and relied on the collective wisdom of the cabinet throughout the execution of the Rs 1 lakh crore mega project. He also noted that Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS), a Central govt agency, had conducted the survey for the construction of the three barrages.
Justice Ghose posed 18 pointed questions during the 50-minute session.
KCR explained that the project plan was revised after expert reports and WAPCOS flagged concerns over inadequate water availability at the original site, Tummidihatti. The commission summoned him as witness number 115, given that the Kaleshwaram project was conceived and executed during his tenure.
KCR pointed out that the Maharashtra govt had objected to the proposed barrage at Tummidihatti being constructed at a height of 152m.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Lowering the height to 148m, as suggested, would have rendered the project unviable due to insufficient water availability. Since Central Water Commission (CWC) also raised concerns, he said, the decision to shift the project to Medigadda was both inevitable and scientifically justified.
Medigadda, he explained, offered a more favourable location with an assured water availability of 230 tmcft for lifting — significantly higher than at Tummidihatti.
KCR held the irrigation portfolio when the three major barrages — Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla — were completed and inaugurated in 2019.
Responding to questions on the formation of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Corporation (KLIC), KCR said the special purpose vehicle was created to raise loans, as revenue generation had not yet begun. The state govt, he added, provided budgetary support for the repayment of principal and interest, and extended sovereign guarantees to lending agencies.
On the allegation that the barrages were used as storage points beyond their design capacity, he described it as a "technical call" made by engineers based on field realities. He noted that Rs 280 crore had been allocated for maintenance and over 4,000 engineers had worked on the project, ensuring oversight at every level.
To reinforce his position, the BRS chief submitted to the commission a booklet titled Kaleshwaram: A Lift Line of Telangana, along with records of all govt orders, approvals from central agencies like CWC, and minutes of key decisions made during the project's execution.
The cross-examination began at 12 pm and concluded at 12.50 pm.
With the inquiry entering a sensitive phase, KCR's deposition is being seen as a clear political signal. "The state's most ambitious irrigation venture was built on expert advice, not personal whim — a line likely to define the BRS's counter-narrative as accountability questions continue to mount," a senior observer noted.