Latest news with #KLIS
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Kaleshwaram dispute: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy says no cabinet approval since 2014; files missing, reply due June 30
Telangana CM Revanth Reddy HYDERABAD: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday rejected the statements of former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, ex-irrigation minister T Harish Rao and another ex-minister Eatala Rajender (now in BJP) that the cabinet had given approvals for Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). The CM said the cabinet had not approved shifting of locations from Thumiddihatti to Medigadda and other important decisions. He said the Kaleshwaram project came before the cabinet only for revision of cost. "After Telangana state was formed 96 cabinet meetings were held, none of them have any documents on Kaleshwaram project approvals," the CM said during a media conference on Wednesday. KCR, Harish Rao and Rajender, during their cross-examination before the PC Ghose one-man commission, had said that cabinet sub-committee and cabinet cleared all the important decisions pertaining to the Kaleshwaram project. The CM said the one-man commission had written to the Telangana irrigation department to furnish the details by June 30. "The state govt will provide all the cabinet decisions copies to the commission by June 30," Revanth Reddy said. The papers that will be submitted to the commission will expose the ex-CM and ex-ministers, he said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
KLIS probe: PC Ghose commission seeks cabinet approval details from state govt
HYDERABAD: Justice PC Ghose commission has asked the state govt to furnish additional information pertaining to cabinet approvals for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). The one-man commission, which is probing the sinking of piers at Medigadda and damages to the Annaram and Sundilla barrages under KLIS, cross-examined former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and former ministers T Harish Rao and Eatala Rajender. Following their depositions, the commission reportedly wrote a letter to the irrigation department on June 13, requesting further details, if any. Sources said the commission sought cabinet approvals and other details after KCR, Harish Rao and Eatala stated during their cross-examination that all the decisions — including shifting of project source from Thummidihatti to Medigadda, cost revisions, approvals for Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, and creation of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Corporation — had cabinet approvals. The previous BRS govt had constituted a cabinetsub-committee led by former minister T Harish Rao, with Eatala Rajender and Tummala Nageshwara Rao as members. The cabinet subcommittee had reportedly recommended the decisions based on the suggestions from a high-level expert committee on the irrigation project. However, Tummala, who is currently a minister in the current Congress govt, claimed that although he was a member of the sub-committee, many issues were never discussed in the meeting and were instead approved solely by KCR. 'The commission only asked for any additional information pertaining to the project, not exactly cabinet decisions. These were provided by irrigation secretary on same day ,' sources told TOI .
New Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Save Kaleshwaram scheme and act against corruption
It's indeed a complex project comprising three barrages at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla, 15 reservoirs, 21 pump houses and 1,531 km of gravity canals. The idea is to lift 240 thousand million cubic feet of Godavari water in all during the 120 days of flood season every year. It sounds like a boon for Telangana, which had always been deprived of adequate water for its farmers. The catch, though, is the power requirement of 9,000 MW once the project is operationalised, which translates to an estimated electricity bill of Rs 10,000 crore, or Rs 37,882 per acre. Several experts and opposition parties had objected to it, arguing that it was unviable and there were other economically feasible ways to achieve the stated objectives. But nobody had anticipated the project would run into a bigger hurdle: the structural damage to the Medigadda barrage and others caused by the floods of 2022 and 2023. Now, the question before everyone is whether KLIS has turned into a white elephant. The National Dam Safety Authority recommended that a rehabilitation design be drafted for the barrages, but also termed the damage to Medigadda Block 7 irreversible and warned against movement of structures. There were allegations of corruption, too, hanging over KLIS and the Congress government constituted a commission headed by Justice P C Ghose last year to probe alleged irregularities. It hit the headlines recently when KCR deposed before it. A parallel vigilance probe has called for action against 57 engineers. It is inevitable that politics will play out over the charges, as will court cases. But the main task of the government should be to salvage the project. This cannot be achieved without coordination with the Centre. Action must also be taken against those found guilty of corruption.
New Indian Express
13-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Telangana should write to Centre, seek CBI probe into KLIS irregularities: BJP leader DK Aruna
HANAMKONDA: BJP vice-president DK Aruna on Thursday demanded that the state government write a letter to the Centre, seeking a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the execution of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Speaking to the media after attending a photo exhibition marking 11 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre, held at Hunter Road in Hanamkonda district, she said: 'Ahead of the Assembly elections, Rahul Gandhi and A Revanth Reddy said that the Congress, if voted to power, would expose corruption perpetrated by KCR in Kaleshwaram project and send him to jail. Why is Revanth Reddy now hesitating to seek a CBI inquiry?' 'Just one individual, an executive engineer, was found to be involved in a scam worth hundreds of crores. One wonders how many people were involved in this scam and how much public money was looted during the BRS regime,' she alleged. Asserting that the BJP stands by its claims on Kaleshwaram project, she said: 'We are going to prove that irregularities occurred in execution of the Kaleshwaram project.' The Mahbubnagar MP also slammed CM Revanth Reddy for not taking any action against those responsible for the alleged phone-tapping case. 'Revanth Reddy said that those involved in the phone-tapping will be punished by the government. But till now there is no action,' she said, asking: 'Why don't you hand over the phone-tapping case to the CBI?'
New Indian Express
12-06-2025
- New Indian Express
ACB nets Kaleshwaram project engineer with assets worth Rs 200 crore
KARIMNAGAR/HYDERABAD: Nune Sridhar, an executive engineer in the Irrigation department, was on Wednesday arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a disproportionate assets case and sent to judicial remand. Sridhar has been serving as in-charge of the Gayatri and Nandi Medaram pump houses under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS). Sridhar's arrest came after the ACB conducted searches at 14 locations, including his residence in Karimnagar and properties belonging to his relatives. Officials said the EE amassed assets 'through unlawful practices and dubious means' while serving in various capacities, including his current post in Division No-8, SRSP Camp, Choppadandi, Karimnagar. The searches revealed that the accused had acquired these movable and immovable properties by abusing his official position, the ACB said. The searches are still going on. The unofficial estimate put the market value of the assets seized at around Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore. 'The market value is expected to be much higher than the official value,' the ACB release stated, adding that further investigation is in progress. Sridhar resides in a flat in Karimnagar city. ACB carried out searches at his relatives' houses in Jyothinagar in Karimnagar.
