Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday held the previous BRS government entirely responsible for the collapse of the Kaleshwaram project, describing it as the biggest man-made disaster since Independence and the costliest engineering failure by any state government in India. He stated that Telangana is currently paying ₹16,000 crore annually in interest and instalments for high-cost loans borrowed during the BRS regime to fund the faulty project, placing an immense financial burden on the State and its farmers.
Releasing the final report of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) at Dr B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, the Minister said the findings confirmed the structural collapse of all three barrages—Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla—and exposed the inefficiency, negligence, and deliberate mismanagement of the previous administration led by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.
Uttam Kumar Reddy asserted that the Kaleshwaram project was not grounded in scientific principles but was built on lies, propaganda, and false publicity. He recalled that the original blueprint was the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Project at Tummadihatti, for which even the then TRS government had sought national project status. However, KCR abandoned this plan, reengineering and redesigning it to launch Kaleshwaram with false assurances of completing both projects. Instead of pursuing sustainable planning, the former regime chose rushed execution, relying on high-interest loans and resulting in severe financial losses. “All three barrages have structurally collapsed. I am presenting these facts to the public to highlight the misuse of their hard-earned money,” he said.
He noted that the barrages were initially designed to regulate 2 TMC of river water but ended up storing over 10 TMC each, purely to serve a publicity-driven agenda, ultimately causing foundational damage and collapse. The NDSA report confirmed that essential safety protocols were ignored, borehole investigations were inadequate, and maintenance records were non-existent, all in violation of legal requirements. “Signs of seepage and damage were detected as early as 2019, but the BRS government disregarded them. This criminal negligence caused financial losses amounting to thousands of crores for Telangana,” he stated.
Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasised that the Kaleshwaram collapse was not a natural calamity but a direct consequence of the BRS government’s reckless decisions, dealing a severe blow to Telangana’s economy and its farmers. He reiterated that Telangana was burdened with an annual debt repayment of ₹16,000 crore for the failed project, representing public funds lost due to political manoeuvring.
The Minister criticised former Chief Minister KCR for questioning the credibility of the NDSA instead of accepting responsibility, calling it a grave injustice to Telangana and a blow to the State’s national reputation. He revealed that when the Congress government recently sought clearance for the Sitaramasagar project from the Ministry of Jal Shakti, officials refused to consider it, citing the collapse of the State’s irrigation infrastructure.
He further dismantled the misinformation surrounding the original Pranahita-Chevella project, clarifying that claims of water scarcity were unfounded. He stated that project costs were unnecessarily inflated and public money squandered, with ₹1.81 lakh crore shown as irrigation expenditure through post-facto approvals. Despite the collapse of Kaleshwaram, Telangana achieved record paddy production during the Yasangi season under Congress rule, demonstrating that good governance, rather than faulty engineering, was key to success.
The NDSA report recommended urgent stabilisation, repair, and rehabilitation of the damaged structures. The Minister stressed the need for expert-led technical intervention and assured that all decisions would follow Cabinet discussions and legal procedures. He promised that those responsible would be held accountable.
He also announced a public awareness campaign to educate citizens on how the BRS government betrayed Telangana. Highlighting the importance of scientific planning, he said that technical institutions such as WALAMTARI, which historically trained irrigation engineers, would be strengthened, with no political interference.
Advisor Adityanath Das is currently reviewing the feasibility of reviving the original Tummadihatti-based Pranahita-Chevella project. The Minister described the present situation as a moment of reckoning for Telangana and assured that the Congress government would prevent any future betrayal.
“This is not a political issue; it is a monumental failure of public infrastructure,” he said, adding that a judicial commission had already been established to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Jupally Krishna Rao, Advisor to Telangana Government Mohammed Ali Shabbir, TPCC Working President Jagga Reddy, Lok Sabha MP Balram Naik, and senior officials were also present at the event.
Hon’ble Minister Sri.Nalamada Uttam Kumar Reddy will Address the Media at Secretariat https://t.co/JaZijHJVAJ
— Telangana Congress (@INCTelangana) April 29, 2025