Telangana CM asks KCR to explain facts about “man made wonder” Kaleshwaram project by visiting the barrage

Telangana CM invites former CM to visit Kaleshwaram project, questioning its construction and inviting debate on its cost.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has invited Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to visit Medigadda barrage, part of the much-publicised Kaleshwaram project, to explain the facts relating to the “man made wonder” as it was described by the previous Government.

The Chief Minister along with his Cabinet colleagues and MLAs left for a visit of Medigadda barrage on Tuesday. Explaining about the purpose of the visit in the legislative assembly this morning, the Chief Minister said the BRS was claiming that sinking and drift of six out of the 11 piers in the block-7 of the barrage was due to sand erosion and wondered how the Government proceeded with the construction of a rigid structure rather than a floating one as envisaged earlier.

“The previous Government deployed posse of police force, like the deployment on Wagah border, preventing people from visiting the barrage,” he said adding there were also reports that a section of officials hid the files pertaining to the project.

The Congress Government had therefore ordered a vigilance inquiry into the development and a comprehensive report was submitted to the Government on the barrage. Every member of the legislature had the responsibility to know about the facts and there was need for a debate in the House about the contents of the vigilance report. The Government had therefore decided to visit the barrage along with MLAs so that they could understand the ground realities.

“Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao should come to the House to explain the members about the wonder his Government has constructed at the expense of public money. The BRS president should explain to the people about how the Government could create a wonder akin to Taj Mahal,” he said adding the people had the right to know the facts.

He also invited BRS MLA and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao to visit the project recalling that a former Governor had called Mr. Harish Rao as “Kaleshwara Rao”. Mr. Revanth Reddy said the Government was prepared to arrange a chopper if the BRS president was did not feel comfortable in travelling by bus.

He said the Government would release a white paper on irrigation projects in the assembly in a day or two as the Government was keen on laying bare the facts about Kaleshwaram project, the project which could not provide water to 97,000 acres after spending Rs. 97,000 crore.