Latest news with #KaleshwaramLiftIrrigationProject
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Medigadda Barrage collapse: 17 officials to face criminal charges and 33 disciplinary action
The State Vigilance Commission has advised the government to initiate criminal proceedings against some 50 serving and retired officials, as well as the contracting agency L&T Precision Engineering Systems (L&T-PES) blaming them for the collapse of the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. The suggestions were based on the Vigilance Report dated March 5, 2025, submitted by the DG, Vigilance & Enforcement (V&E), Hyderabad, highlighting lapses in design, supervision, quality control, and execution of the Medigadda barrage works. The sinking of Block No. 7 of the barrage resulted in massive financial losses to the State exchequer and also political slugfest. The Commission directed the Irrigation and Command Area Development (I&CAD) department to initiate major disciplinary proceedings against 33 officials, including engineers and Finance department officials, for procedural and supervisory lapses. They include Bhupathi Raju Nagendra Rao, Todupunoori Srinivas, V. Phanibhushan Sharma, Mohd. Ajmal Khan, Kotte Sudhakar Reddy, Sudagoni Sathyanarayana, B. Venkata Ramana Reddy, Sardar Omkar Singh, Ch. Thirupathi Rao, Banothu Nanda, Ajmeera Suresh Kumar, P. Shravan Kumar, K. S. S. Chandra Sekhar, H. Baswaraj, Thoutam Hemalatha, Ankilla Ravikanth, R. Vijay, G. Gangadhar, G. Saicharan, M. Prasad, Merugu Raju, B. Ganesh, Md. Ismail Sajid, P. A. Venkata Krishna, K. Devender Reddy, M. Raghu Ram, B. Kiran Kumar, A. Krishna Mohan, G. Krishna Reddy, E. Sukumar, P. Shravan Kumar, L. Bheema Raju, Vali Shaik and Boge Srinivas. Penalty proceedings should be initiated against seven retired senior officials under the Telangana Civil Services (Conduct and Appeal) Rules, the Commission said. They include Cheeti Muralidhar, Engineer-in-Chief (General) (I&CAD), N. Venkateshwarlu, Engineer-in-Chief, Kaleshwaram Project, Gajjela Hari Hara Chary, Deputy Chief Engineer, Kaleshwaram Project, B. Venkateshwarlu, Chief Engineer, Quality Control & Inspection, I&CAD, Chatla Gangadhar, V. Ajaya Kumar and A. Narender Reddy. Criminal proceedings were suggested against 17 officers and the Agency L&T-PES, whose action led to the sinking of the Medigadda barrage, as well as causing huge financial loss to the Government exchequer. The 17 are among the 33 already picked up for disciplinary and penalty proceedings. The contractor, L&T-PES, has also come under scrutiny for violating key terms of the supplemental agreement and for faulty execution of secant pile foundations, which directly led to the sinking of the barrage structure. The Commission said that the L&T-PES agency will be liable to bear the full cost of replacing Block No. 7. The agency was also accused of claiming project completion despite glaring deficiencies, and failure to meet safety and structural norms. The Commission also called for accountability of higher officials, including Principal Secretaries of the I&CAD and Finance departments, who approved deviations and financial proposals during the period of redesign and execution from April 2015 to October 2023. Suggesting reforms for such dealings in the future, the Commission issued directives to the I&CAD, Finance department, and GAD. They include scrupulous adherence to norms and contract conditions, mandatory joint inspections, revision approvals for design changes, comprehensive model studies by third-party experts, record-keeping on contractor equipment deployment to counter false claims and enforcement of work insurance provisions aligned with updated estimates.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BRS leaders to ring in TG Formation Day with gusto
Hyderabad: The BRS leaders will be grandly celebrating the Telangana State Formation Day in all the districts and also at party head office, Telangana Bhavan on Monday. According to the BRS leaders, they will be hoisting the national flag and also the party flags in all the district centres across the State. The BRS working president KT Rama Rao is in Dallas to celebrate the Formation Day organised by the NRI unit of the USA. Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council S Madhusudhana Chary will hoist the national flag on the occasion of Telangana State Formation Day on Monday at 10 am at Telangana Bhavan. Former minister T Harish Rao and others will grace the occasion. Harish Rao is slated to give a presentation on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project at 2 pm at Telangana Bhavan. The BRS working president KT Rama Rao had asked senior party leaders and all activists to participate and celebrate the formation celebrations grandly with the people. He said that the State was achieved under the leadership of the leader of the movement KCR after 14 years of tireless struggle and this occasion should be celebrated grandly under the auspices of the party. KTR recalled that the six-decade dream was realised only with the sacrifices of martyrs, the struggles of government employees, students and the collective efforts of all sections of society. Meanwhile, addressing a press conference, BRS MLC D Sravan Kumar said that the Seemandhra rulers exploited Telangana in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. 'Who is the reason for this exploitation? Telangana leaders bowed down for posts and exploited Telangana. KCR came to the Telangana movement in 2001 like a hawk who was shouting that positions were equal to grass. KCR fought for Telangana not in a street fight but in a straight fight,' he highlighted. He said that KCR developed Telangana and made it agrarian by providing pensions, 24-hour electricity, 50 per cent reservation for women in local body elections, crop loans, 12,069 villages, 612 mandals, and 102 municipalities.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
BJP MP Raghunandan Rao terms Kavitha's dharna a 'media stunt'
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 2 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Raghunandan Rao dismissed BRS MLC K Kavitha's call for a 'Maha Dharna' at Indira Park as a political attempt to remain in public view. The protest, scheduled for June 4, comes in response to a notice issued by the PC Ghose Commission to her father and Telangana former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in connection with the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. Calling the protest unnecessary, Rao said, 'Instead of doing a dharna at Indira Park, whatever the allegations against KCR, you can go and deny it before the commission.' Labelling the protest as mere theatrics, he said, 'Doing dharna is a mere political stunt to gain some relevance in the media, and there is nothing else to it.' Rao said the proper procedure should be followed in the matter and clarified that the Centre cannot independently initiate a probe without the state's consent. 'It is the duty of the state government to write a letter to the CBI, or to the Central government, to take the case. The CBI or the Centre cannot take the issue directly.' Kavitha, who had on May 21 objected to the PC Ghose commission's notice to KCR in connection with the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, has announced the protest as a response to what she termed 'calculated political conspiracy'. In a post on X, Kavitha emphasised that Kaleshwaram was built for the welfare of farmers. 'The notices to KCR Garu over the Kaleshwaram project are part of a calculated political conspiracy to tarnish the image of a true people's leader. Kaleshwaram was built for the welfare of farmers and future generations, not for politics. Today, this inefficient Congress government is undoing the very progress Telangana fought for,' Kavitha wrote. The BRS MLC further highlighted that KCR has devoted his life to Telangana and the transformation of barren lands into fields of prosperity, which is now being targeted by the 'visionless' regime. 'KCR Garu, who has devoted his life to Telangana, transforming barren lands into fields of prosperity, is now being targeted by a visionless regime. No vindictive Government can diminish his legacy. The truth will prevail, and history will remember who stood for the people and who tried to bring them down,' the post read. Justice PC Ghose Commission on May 20 had issued summons to former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), former Minister Harish Rao, and BJP MP Etela Rajender, who also served as a minister during the BRS regime, in the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP). The Commission, which has been probing financial and procedural lapses in the multi-crore irrigation project, directed the three political leaders to appear for questioning in the first week of June. According to the sources, KCR was asked to appear before the Commission on June 5, followed by Harish Rao on June 6 and Etela Rajender on June 9. (ANI)
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
TPCC chief alleges secret meeting between Harish Rao, Eatala Rajender and KCR over Kaleshwaram probe
HYDERABAD: In a sensational claim, TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud on Friday alleged that BRS MLA T Harish Rao and BJP MP Eatala Rajender met at a farmhouse on the outskirts of Hyderabad two days ago and then telephoned former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to discuss what to say before the PC Ghose Commission investigating the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. 'As per my information, Eatala Rajender met Harish Rao at a farmhouse at Shamirpet about two days ago. They then telephoned KCR,' the TPCC chief told reporters at a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan, in Hyderabad. It may be recalled that KCR, Harish Rao and Rajender have been summoned by the Ghose Commission for cross-examination. They are scheduled to appear on June 5, June 6 and June 9, respectively. During the planning, design and construction of the project, barrages of which eventually collapsed in October 2023, KCR was the chief minister, Harish Rao handled the Irrigation portfolio, while Rajender was the finance minister.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
KTR showcases Telangana's growth during BRS rule at London meet
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao has stated that BRS rule for over nine years in Telangana had proved that strong leadership and sincerity to transform the lives of people would make excellent progress possible as the State stood at the top in wealth creation and its distribution among people. Speaking on the topic 'Why Telangana matters' as part of the Bridge India Week meet in London on Friday, he shared Telangana's experience and thoughts on development and welfare with model path and policies and how the distribution of wealth created among the marginalised sections had made Telangana secure a special place in the country. Stating that the government led by K. Chandrasekhar Rao had achieved a fine balance between welfare and development, he said that those inclusive initiatives had taken Telangana from the 12th position in the country to first in the matter of per capita income. On Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, he said that it was the first such project in the world to lift water from 80 metres above mean sea level to over 620 metres to irrigate 45 lakh acres. Providing treated drinking water to every household with surface water, achieving 156% growth in per capita income in a decade, industry-friendly policies making Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook to have their largest campuses outside the US in Telangana, increasing IT and ITES exports from ₹56,000 crore in 2014 to ₹2.41 lakh crore in 2023, creation of 24 lakh jobs in the private sector were among many achievements of the BRS Government, he noted.
