Hyderabad: Irrigation Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday described the collapse of the Medigadda barrage under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) as “the biggest artificial and financial disaster in independent India.”
Opening the Assembly debate on the Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose Commission of Inquiry report, Reddy said the TRS/BRS government ignored warnings, altered designs without approvals, and left Telangana burdened with an unviable scheme that collapsed within four years.
He recalled that six piers of Block 7 of the Medigadda barrage sank on 21 October 2023, and an FIR was lodged the next day. Medigadda, along with Annaram and Sundilla, formed the core of KLIP, costing ₹21,000 crore. “Today, all three barrages have remained useless for over 20 months,” Reddy said.
Commission blames faulty design, rushed execution for Kaleshwaram collapse
Citing the National Dam Safety Authority, the Minister said full storage against repeated warnings caused the sinking. He traced the project’s origin to the Congress-led Pranahita–Chevella scheme in 2009, which had statutory clearances and 30 percent progress by 2014. After Telangana’s formation, the TRS abandoned it and instead redesigned KLIP at Medigadda.
GO 231 of March 2016 cleared Medigadda at ₹2,600 crore, later revised to ₹4,500 crore, without Cabinet approval. Despite WAPCOS cautioning against construction at that site, contracts were awarded immediately.
Reddy said KLIP promised irrigation to 34 lakh acres but delivered only 20.2 TMC annually over five years, with over ₹1 lakh crore spent. “Not a single new acre of ayacut was created,” he said.
He cited multiple findings:
- Retired engineers (2015) warned against Medigadda.
- NDSA (2023) found weak foundations, faulty planning and risk of further collapse.
- Vigilance Commissioner (2017) flagged unverified design changes and premature completion certificates.
The Judicial Commission, after examining 119 witnesses including former CM K. Chandrashekar Rao, held the TRS leadership directly responsible for irregularities. It found contracts awarded without clearances, defective designs, lack of quality control and unjustified cost escalations.
Reddy said KLIP’s cost rose from ₹87,449 crore to ₹1.47 lakh crore, while the earlier Pranahita–Chevella could have been completed for ₹38,500 crore. “What could have secured irrigation for north Telangana has become a debt burden with collapsed barrages,” he said.
He stressed the Congress was not acting out of vendetta. “These are the findings of a Supreme Court judge. We placed the report before Cabinet and Assembly for open debate. The next steps will be taken strictly according to law,” he said.