Hyderabad: The inquiry commission headed by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose is set to visit Hyderabad on July 6 and stay for four days as part of its ongoing investigation into the Kaleshwaram project.
Ahead of the visit, state officials submitted documents to the commission on Wednesday indicating that the cabinet did not initially approve the barrage constructions under the project. According to sources, the papers show that the ratification came only after construction had already commenced and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Kaleshwaram project was submitted to the Central Water Commission.
The records suggest that the cabinet formally endorsed the barrage decisions nearly a year after the initial resolutions were taken, and works had already started. This contradicts statements made by former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao during his appearance before the commission on June 11, where he said the decision to construct the barrages was taken collectively by the cabinet. Former ministers Harish Rao and Etela Rajender also backed that claim during their depositions.
However, former minister Tummala Nageswara Rao, who was named as part of the cabinet sub-committee on irrigation works along with Harish Rao and Etela, rejected the claim that such a sub-committee had made any recommendations on barrage construction.
In response, the commission wrote to the government seeking details beyond witness statements, asking for internal records to clarify the decision-making sequence. The documents now submitted reportedly show that the cabinet approved the barrage-related decisions only several months after initial actions were taken.
It remains unclear whether the commission will request an extension to study the new material or finalise its report by the end of the month. The commission’s current tenure ends this month.