Kishan Reddy challenges Congress govt over Kaleshwaram project

The previous government had claimed the project to be an engineering marvel with concrete used compared to that of Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Hyderabad: Union Minister and Telangana BJP president G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday sought to know why Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had not written a letter to the Centre seeking a CBI inquiry on alleged corruption in the Kaleshwaram project in the state.

Speaking to reporters here, Kishan Reddy wondered if there is any "tacit" understanding between the Congress government in the state and the BRS party on the issue, through mediation of AIMIM.

"When in Opposition, the Congress leaders demanded a CBI inquiry into the issue. Today, why is the chief minister (Revanth Reddy) not writing a letter to the Centre seeking a CBI probe? Does the Congress government sincerely want an inquiry into the Kaleshwaram project or not? Do they want the culprits to be punished or not?" Kishan Reddy asked.

"I want to know whether the chief minister has any sincerity. The biggest scam of the BRS government was the Kaleshwaram project. Are you willing to order a CBI inquiry? Would you write a letter (to Centre)," the Telangana BJP chief asked.

During the Assembly polls (last year), the Congress claimed that if voted to power, it would order an inquiry on "corruption" deeds including projects undertaken by the then BRS government, he said.

The previous government claimed the Kaleshwaram project as an engineering marvel and the largest lift irrigation project. They also said that concrete used in the project was equivalent to that of seven Burj Khalifa in Dubai and steel was equivalent to that of 15 'Eiffel Tower' in Paris, he said.

The piers of the Medigadda barrage of the mega Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme 'sinking' shook the state in October 2023 as it snowballed into a major controversy and a key election issue. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had found that the barrage was severely compromised, rendering it useless unless fully rehabilitated.

Kishan Reddy asked what is the future of Kaleshwaram project and the Telangana people and what is the fate of Rs 1 lakh crore spent on the project.

The Medigadda barrage was a lifeline to the Kaleshwaram project, he said, adding that the NDSA also visited it and highlighted some of the key issues of the project. They sought some more details from the state government. However, replies were given to only 11 of the 20 issues, the BJP leader said.

"Why is the Congress government dilly-dallying on the corruption involved in the construction of the project? Will they accept NDSA suggestions? When they (Congress) were in opposition, Revanth Reddy wanted to know what the Central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were doing. Now there's a necessity to spell out the state government’s stand on the issue," he said.

Earlier, when the BJP demanded an inquiry, the then Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao did not approve the CBI probe, Kishan Reddy said.