MINISTERS TEAM INSPECTS KALESHWARAM
The ministers team visiting Kaleshwaram project on Friday questioned why the Engineer in Chief remained a mute witness to all the happenings when the then chief minister KCR took advantage and dictated terms though he does not have the technical knowledge about what they term the Engineering marvel. The ministers’ team comprising Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Sreedhar Babu, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy and Ponnam Prabhakar accompanied by technical experts and L and T officials visited the project on Friday. Initially a power point presentation was given by officials and technical experts about the project.
Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said the then government has publicized it as the biggest project in the world. But the piers of it the biggest lift sustained cracks On October 21. The 20th pillar of Block 7 sagged five feet with the loudest noise, the minister detailed.
“We will have a judicial inquiry on Kaleswaram as soon as possible”, he asserted. The minister further detailed that Kaleshwaram project has several technical flaws.
Storage in barrages should be less, he said and added that even Dhavaleshwaram barrage does not have more than 3-4 TMC of storage, where as in Kaleshwaram the technical expertise has planned for the storage of 16 TMC water in Kaleswaram, he said.
There are flaws in the project due to political aspects and other aspects, Uttam Kumar Reddy added. The minister added that the present government was trying to secure national status to PalamuruRanga Reddy project. On the Friday visit the minister said the ministers’ team would look at Kannepally Pump House and Annaram Barrage.
“After taking the report of the officials, we will discuss with the CM and take a decision, he said. On the project he said the 80 thousand crores was approved by CWC but the estimates gradually reached to 1 lakh 20 thousand.
95 thousand crores were spent so far Only 97,000 acres are getting water in the new Ayacut, he said. Annaram barrage is also damaged and Sundilla also needs to be inspected Kaleshwaram barrage water is all empty, he said.
Industries, IT Department Minister Sridhar Babu spoke and said that the team was trying to find out what happened in works like collapse of pillars at Medigadda bubbles in Annaram and Sundilla barrages respectively.
People should know what happened in this project built on a large scale with public money, he remarked. We have no personal grudge against anyone; Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy have already reviewed. Sridhar babu said. Even though we have three barrages, we have to solve drinking water and irrigation problems through this project he said.
Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy was serious on the officials and said about 40 thousand crore rupees would have been saved if the project was built near Tummidi Hatti. I do not understand why the project was constructed here Has KCR been made engineer in chief, he questioned.
Komati Reddy Venkata Reddy, who fired on the engineer in chief felt the official, should have just taken leave. They brought assembled motors and spent crores of rupees he said and added that KCR conspired that the Congress would gain fame if the projects were completed.
Kondapochamma Sagar project is also a failed experiment, he said. Minister Ponnam Prabhakar detailed that. The Kaleshwaram project was the brainchild of the previous government. At least they made it impossible to see.
They spread the word that bombs were planted in the Kaleswaram project How can you spend lakhs of crores and get no results, he asked. Steps should be taken to benefit farmers in future, he suggested.
Legislator Vivek said this situation would not have arisen if it had been built near Tummidi Hatti. The Kaleshwaram project was made into a mess Kaleshwaram backwater problem should be solved No compensation was given to the farmers who lost their crops in the backwater, he said.
Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, said “The then Congress Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy worked hard to build the project near Tummidi Hatti at 152 meters level But the Maharashtra government did not agree and the situation changed during the negotiation stage. Later, an agreement was made with the Government of Maharashtra at a height of 148 meters, he detailed. On the present structure he said that Kaleswaram collapsed due to design flaw If precautions were taken then, this situation would not have happened today, he said. People are discussing Kaleshwaram project in many ways. It does not stop with one or two pillars. The entire project is of poor quality, he said. This is a project built on debt, he said and added. The reason for the sinking of the pumps is the negligence of the authorities. Hundreds of crores of public money was wasted who is the reason for this, he questioned.