Hyderabad: Vigilance authorities froze the assets of three senior irrigation engineers connected to the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. The engineers — former ENC Hari Ram, Executive Engineer Nune Sridhar, and retired ENC Chitti Muralidhar — already face corruption charges filed by the ACB. Officials estimated their combined assets at over ₹400 crore.
Assets blocked after ACB raids
The Vigilance Wing, therefore, restricted any sale or transfer of these properties until the court delivers its verdict. All three accused are currently out on bail. The decision, however, created a stir in the Irrigation Department. It followed a series of high-profile corruption cases linked to the Kaleshwaram project.
Earlier this year, ACB officers raided the homes of Executive Engineer Nune Sridhar and his relatives. They consequently found illegal assets worth more than ₹110 crore. The list included properties held under his wife, children, and benamis. Sridhar joined the department as an Assistant Executive Engineer. Later, he served in the Kaleshwaram project before his arrest in June.
Senior engineers face corruption heat
In May, ACB arrested former Chief Engineer Hari Ram. He played a key role in both the Pranahitha–Chevella and redesigned Kaleshwaram projects. At that time, he worked as an ENC at Gajwel and as Managing Director of the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation Limited. The department, therefore, suspended him immediately after the arrest.
In addition, ACB officials raided the homes of retired Engineer-in-Chief Chitti Muralidhar in July. They found properties that far exceeded his known income. Consequently, they valued the seized assets at over ₹100 crore based on open market rates.
