Global experts, IIT Delhi working on rehab and revival of Kaleshwaram Barrages

HYDERABAD

Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday told the Assembly that the government was actively working on the rehabilitation and revival of the three Kaleshwaram project barrages — Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla — by involving IIT Delhi and international experts.

He reiterated that the blunders committed by the BRS government including huge high-cost (interest) borrowings for the project had resulted in the present government pay ₹10,000 crore towards interest alone every year. It was with the intention to make use of the barrages the government had gone for an inquiry by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) experts.

Besides, they had also instituted a vigilance and enforcement (V&E) inquiry and a one-man judicial inquiry by a retired Supreme Court judge on the irregularities from the stage of planning, designing, construction, quality control and operation and maintenance of the three barrages.

The work on rehabilitation of the barrages was appearing slow to others but the government was progressing carefully, the Minister said. On the Pranahita-Chevella project, he said it would be taken forward with a barrage at Tummidihatti as the source as originally envisaged. However, the transmission route of water was being changed since the Tummidihatti-Yellampally route via Mancherial and coal mines was involved with many challenges.

He stated that one R.V. Engineering Consultancy working at IIT Chennai was given the task of vetting the alternative route for linking Tummidihatti with Sundilla Barrage. The government would take up the project soon and complete it in three years, he noted.

On Palamuru-Rangareddy, he said the viability of Laxmidevipally reservoir would be studied in a week’s time to provide water to areas, including Shadnagar and Parigi, and land acquisition would be commenced based on the study report. The Minister made these announcements while giving clarifications on the discussion of voting of demands for grants.