Uttam Kumar Reddy: NDSA report exposes BRS government’s failures in Kaleshwaram Project

HYDERABAD: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt N Uttam Kumar Reddy stated that the National Dam Safety Authority’s (NDSA) report on the Kaleshwaram Project was a direct indictment of the previous BRS government, exposing serious flaws in its design, construction, and maintenance.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the Bharat Summit 2025 at HICC on Friday, Uttam Kumar Reddy launched a scathing attack on the BRS leadership. He said that BRS leaders should feel ashamed, as the NDSA report had clearly indicated faults in the project’s design, construction, and operation. He further alleged that soil testing had not been conducted properly and that no adequate geophysical investigations were carried out.

Highlighting the findings, he pointed out that phenomena such as sand piping, cavity formation beneath the raft, construction defects, design deficiencies, structural distress, and other damages had rendered Block-7 of the Medigadda Barrage unserviceable. He added that the NDSA committee had identified similar issues in other blocks as well, based on geophysical surveys that revealed cavity formations beneath multiple sections of the barrage.

Uttam Kumar Reddy accused the previous BRS government of jeopardising Telangana’s future by borrowing over ₹1 lakh crore at high interest rates for a project that eventually failed. “You claimed to be creating wonders with Kaleshwaram. But you designed it, you built it, and it collapsed under your watch,” he charged.

He further alleged that critical components of the project — the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages — were barely functional, despite the BRS government presenting the project as a monumental achievement. He remarked that Telangana had achieved record paddy production during the Vanakalam season not because of the project, but due to the resilience of the farmers.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also accused BRS leaders of misleading the public and trying to survive on “lies and mistakes.” He said that the BRS was once again attempting to deceive farmers, but such efforts would no longer succeed. “They betrayed the very people they claimed to serve,” he stated.

Responding to claims that the NDSA report was politically motivated, Uttam Kumar Reddy clarified that the NDSA was an independent central agency comprising the country’s top dam safety experts. He stressed that the authority had been constituted when the BRS was still in power, and neither Chief Minister Revanth Reddy nor he had any role in its formation. “It is a national body. You should be ashamed that your project was indicted by an institution formed during your own rule,” he said.

He demanded that BRS leaders issue a public apology to the farmers of Telangana. Uttam Kumar Reddy also announced that the Congress government would thoroughly study the NDSA findings and discuss them in detail at the next Cabinet meeting.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to accountability, he declared, “Those who constructed this project and those who enabled its flaws have committed a grave betrayal of Telangana’s farmers. We will ensure they are held accountable. This betrayal will not go unpunished.”