Latest news with #KLIS
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Ghose panel report a ‘baseless plot': BRS leader Harish
HYDERABAD: Describing the Justice PC Ghose Commission report on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) as 'baseless, politically motivated, and a conspiracy,' former irrigation minister T Harish Rao on Tuesday emphatically stated that the project had Cabinet approval and was not an individual decision by former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao. To support the assertion of a collective decision, he displayed copies of Cabinet approvals for the three barrages. 'When the BRS returns to power, we would repair the two damaged piers of the Medigadda barrage and restore water supply to farmers,' he added. Making a PowerPoint presentation a day after the state Cabinet decided to table in the Assembly the report submitted by the PC Ghose Commission, Harish stated, 'It appears that the inquiry by the Commission was conducted in a conspiratorial manner.' The 665-page report held KCR, Harish and former finance minister Eatala Rajender responsible. It stated: 'The then finance minister remained a tacit perpetrator and the then irrigation minister allowed the chief minister to fulfil his desire.' The report also observed that the former chief minister acted not as the head of government but as the administrative executive himself.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Independent panel held KCR responsible for KLIS irregularities: Telangana Min Uttam
HYDERABAD: It's official now. The Commission of Inquiry on the Kaleshwaram Project, headed by retired Supreme Court Judge PC Ghose, has placed full responsibility on former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for the irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). While KCR was the sole decision-maker for Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, he functioned as administrative executive, directed impounding of water at the barrages' peril, and is liable for irregularities and illegalities, the report says. The then irrigation minister T Harish Rao allowed KCR to fulfil his intentions and is thus also liable for the irregularities. The then finance minister Eatala Rajender was described as a tacit perpetrator who remained ignorant of financial implications and rules, it says. The Commission noted that Rajender lacked commitment and integrity in safeguarding state finances. The state Cabinet discussed the report on Monday. According to a PowerPoint presentation given by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy during the Cabinet meeting, the decision to construct the three barrages was made solely by KCR. The Commission observed that there was no formal government decision in this regard. The initial administrative approvals for the three barrages (GO Rt Nos. 231, 232 and 233, dated March 1, 2016) were not placed before or approved by the Cabinet, thus violating the government Business Rules. The Cabinet did not even ratify them. Works were awarded and started even before the detailed project report (DPR) by WAPCOS was finalised or vetted by the Central Water Commission (CWC). The CWC was still examining the project's cost estimate as late as May 2018, well after the administrative approvals were granted in March 2016. The Commission held that the manner in which the project was planned and executed caused a huge loss to the state exchequer.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Damning evidence against KCR and ex-ministers: Ghose panel report on KLIS to be tabled in spl Assembly session
Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who chaired a meeting of the Cabinet at the Secretariat on Monday and accepted the report of the PC Ghose Commission, which had probed allegations of massive corruption and improper execution of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), said matter-of-factly that the state government would table the report at a special session of the Assembly soon and, after 'seeking the opinion of every member' in the House' take action based on the findings of the panel. According to official sources who were privy to a power-point presentation made by State Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on the summary of the judicial commission's report during the cabinet meeting, the Commission has found former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao responsible for the alleged irregularities in the construction of the project. The Commission has observed in its report that Rao was directly and indirectly responsible for the irregularities in the project, right from its planning and construction to operation and maintenance of the barrages which are part of the project, sources said. The Commission pointed fingers also at former irrigation minister T Harish Rao, a nephew of KCR. A committee of experts had advised against taking up the Kaleshwaram project, but the BRS regime had "intentionally suppressed" the report, they said. The sources said the officials had prepared a 60-page summary of the report, which runs into 665 pages. The summary mentioned the names of KCR 32 times, Harish Rao 19 times and former minister Eatala Rajender five times. Rajender is now a BJP Lok Sabha member. The report found Rajender, who was finance minister during the BRS regime, to be negligent, the sources said. Briefing the press after the Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister, apparently enthused by the damning evidence against former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and ex-ministers, said that since the report was prepared by an independent judicial commission, the question of resorting to politics of vengeance did not arise. Going by the findings of the Commission highlighted in the report, the government will initiate action against those who were involved in the 'embezzlement of public money in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project.'
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
KCR held ‘directly accountable' for Kaleshwaram irregularities, PC Ghose Commission indicts ex-CM, ministers
HYDERABAD: If sources are to be believed, the report submitted by the PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry holds BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao 'directly and vicariously accountable' for irregularities in the planning, execution, completion, and operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). According to highly placed sources, the Commission reportedly found that the project was taken up without Cabinet approval and fixed responsibility on the then irrigation minister T Harish Rao and then finance minister Eatala Rajender. It also recommended the severest legal action against six irrigation engineers for deliberately misleading the Commission and for giving false depositions. The report noted that the then engineer-in-chief, C Muralidhar Rao, recently caught by the ACB, misrepresented facts to the Central Water Commission. One of the most serious findings relates to KCR's directive to continuously impound water in the barrages to full capacity for lifting through pump houses, despite barrages being designed as low-head diversion structures, not storage systems. This, the Commission stated, was a 'major cause for distress', linking it directly to the sinking of piers at the Medigadda barrage. The report flagged massive cost escalations, flawed designs and procedural lapses throughout the project's construction. The Commission, headed by former Supreme Court judge PC Ghose, described KLIS as a scheme marked by 'rampant and brazen procedural and financial irregularities'.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Cabinet to take a call on Ghose panel report today
Hyderabad: The state cabinet, which will meet here on Monday, will deliberate on the Justice PC Ghose Commission's report on alleged corruption and irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation (KLIS) project. This was confirmed by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday. He clarified that a final decision will be taken after the issue is discussed threadbare by the cabinet. The report focuses on cost escalation and alleged mismanagement during the BRS government's tenure. Addressing an event in Peddapalli district on Sunday, the Minister criticised the Kaleshwaram project, stating that Rs one lakh crore had been wasted, while the Medigadda barrage had failed to provide any benefit. He pointed out that although Kaleshwaram passes through Manthani constituency, it had not irrigated even a single acre in the region. He said that despite this lacuna, Telangana had managed to achieve record paddy production, which shows that the state's agricultural performance was not dependent on Kaleshwaram alone. The Minister emphasised that his statements were not mere political criticism against a rival party but were substantiated by facts. Monday's cabinet meeting is in line with the decision to hold cabinet meetings twice a month to expedite policy implementation and improve governance. Previously, the Telangana cabinet had decided to implement a 42% reservation for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections and admissions for native students in MBBS colleges. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on Tuesday 5 regarding a government order prioritising Telangana natives in medical college admissions. The State cabinet will also address the implementation of the Rajiv Yuva Vikasam Scheme and matters concerning government employees, including a report submitted by a specifically constituted three-member committee. The finalisation of the Indiramma Housing scheme and allocation of houses across Telangana are also expected to be discussed. Meanwhile, the cabinet is likely to consider a new paddy procurement policy and measures for rehabilitation of families affected by the Musi rejuvenation project.
