Hyderabad: The former BRS government is fully responsible for the collapse of the Kaleshwaram project, which is “the biggest man-made disaster since independence and the most expensive engineering failure caused by any state government in India”, Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy announced Tuesday.
Then, Chief Minister Chandrashekar Rao was also the chief minister of the Irrigation Minister in his second term, and the Irrigation Minister of the BRS for the first term T. Harish Rao was exposed after the final report of the National Dam Safety Agency (NDSA) on Medigadda, Annaram, Annaram and Sundilla Barrages. “It is their inefficiency, negligence and intentional mismanagement,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy, who presented a presentation on the NDSA investigation results at a press conference on the NDSA report, said the disaster was the result of an “irresponsible decision” by the BRS government at the time. He noted that he said: “This has dealt a serious blow to the finances and the lives of farmers in Telangana, adding: “The state pays Rs 160 crore per year to pay the loan repayment of Kaleshwaram. ”
Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed the BRS and former chief minister, calling a part of Chandrashekar Rao “outrageous and shameful” to attack the credibility of NDSA and question its expertise. “The Karshwaram disaster destroyed Telangana’s credibility. Therefore, the Jal Shakti Ministry sought to cross-check the PF PF Sitaramasagar project, saying that given that the Medigadda and Kaleshwaram issues cannot be considered impossible. We, as a responsible government, have provided all the information for this project and obtained permission for this project,” he said.
He said the NDSA recommends emergency stabilization, repair and rehabilitation of damaged structures and requires expert-driven technical intervention. He assured that the Congressional administration will take all the necessary steps. “All decisions will be made after the report is discussed in the cabinet. According to the law, the action will be followed. Those who order the cause of this disaster will be held accountable.”
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Kaleshwaram project was not based on scientific principles. There is no detailed project report (DPR) and a good submission was submitted after construction began. The NDSA report confirms serious and multiple mistakes in planning, design, construction and operation and maintenance of barrage, resulting in serious losses. The location of the Annaram and Sundilla barrage was changed without any research, and the barrage was used like a dam for the purpose of not being designed.
“Signs of leakage and damage were found back in 2019, but the BRS government ignored them. This is a criminal negligence,” he said. The barrage design regulates only 2 to 3 TMC feet of river water. However, each TMC foot is stored in each TMC FT so that KCR is purely for publicity, KCR can claim “Live Godavari 365 days a year.” He added that such storage can lead to base losses and ultimately crashes.
Dropped BR BR Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella on the project on Tummadihatti, saying that BRS claims there is no water there, which is a lie. Project costs have been upgraded and public funds have been wasted. During the Yasangi season under the Congressional administration, Telangana achieved a record Paddy production proof in the Yasangi season, and the importance of the Kaleshwaram project was proven.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the NDSA report found:
Lack of appropriate geographic technology research;
Design defects
Failure of modeling research
Construction defects
Lack of strong quality control
Structural troubles
Failure of operation and maintenance protocols
Ignore Dam Safety Agreement
