Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday blamed former CM K. Chandrashekhar Rao’s redesign of the Pranahita-Chevella project for the structural failures in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme. He said the government would soon table the PC Ghose Commission report in the Assembly for wider discussion.
Speaking at a press meet, Revanth said the TRS government changed the original Pranahita-Chevella plan and built Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages under the new design. “Within three years of construction, Medigadda sank and Annaram cracked,” he said.
He noted that even during KCR’s tenure, technical experts submitted reports flagging planning, construction, and maintenance lapses. After coming to power, the Congress government initiated a judicial probe as promised, he said.
Accordingly, on March 14, 2023, the government appointed a judicial commission led by PC Ghose, a retired judge with vast experience. The panel submitted its 665-page report to the government on July 31.
A three-member committee has been set up to prepare a summary of the findings for Cabinet review. The CM accused the previous regime of laying the foundation for irregularities by renaming and shifting the original project layout.
“The Kaleshwaram project collapsed because it was built on manipulated plans and names,” he said. The Cabinet has approved the Commission’s findings, and the government will introduce the report in the upcoming Assembly session.
Revanth dismissed BRS criticism of the report, saying it was expected. “If the report suits them, they praise it. If not, they attack it,” he said. He stressed that the judicial commission worked independently, without political interference.
All future decisions, he said, would be based on the report’s summary and inputs gathered from all political voices. “This is not political revenge. We will act after considering everyone’s opinion,” he said.
