Priyanka Tiwari
Share
Suspense crime, Digital Desk : President of Bharath Rashtra Samithi and former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao appeared before the commission on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) during its scheduled hearing on Wednesday.
The execution of the Kaleshwaram Project during KCR's time as Chief Minister has been controversial due to ongoing scrutiny stemming from multiple structural failures at critical barrage sites.
KCR reached the commission’s office a little after 11 am, where order was tight and heightened security arrangements were in place. A sizable throng of BRS supporters and leaders gathered at BRS Bhavan which is the commission’s headquarters.
Political Response KTR Defends Project, Slams Opposition
KTR was quick to defend the political narrative around his father, as he was spotted soon after the hearing at BRS headquarters saying to ANI:
“The work done by KCR in 10 years is unmatched in India’s history. If he had worked in another country, he might have received its highest civilian honor. The BJP and Congress are attempting to malign the project for political gain.”
#WATCH | BRS party chief and former CM of Telangana, KCR, arrives to appear before the PC Gosh Commission in connection with alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project.
— ANI (@ANI) June 11, 2025
Recently, BRS MLA and former Irrigation Minister Harish Rao appeared before the Ghosh Commission.… pic.twitter.com/DsiGbMErni
KTR also pointed out that Kaleshwaram was a lift irrigation project - the largest in the world- completed in a record time of four years during which it brought water supply to more than 45 lakh acres of land. He sounded optimistic that the commission will agree with him on the value and legitimacy of the project.
Earlier Testimonies and Active Investigation
KCR’s attendance is alongside the testimonies of:
Harish Rao – BRS MLA and former Irrigation Minister (appeared on June 9)
Etela Rajender – BJP MP and former Finance Minister in the BRS government (appeared on June 6)
In the last year, the commission has conducted interviews with multiple engineers and employees of the Irrigation Department to collect evidence related to:
Deficiencies in project development and design
Construction standards
Ongoing operational maintenance of the field practices
Commission Formation and Scope of Inquiry
The one-man judicial commission, presided by Justice PC Ghose (retired Supreme Court judge and former Lokpal of India), was set up in March 2024. It is looking into matters involving:
Medigadda Barrage
Annaram Barrage
Sundilla Barrage
The inquiry is concerned with:
Assessment of pier failures at Medigadda
Documented defects in other barrages
NDSA and State Vigilance Inquiry findings suggesting possible collusive non-compliance
NDSA Dubbed KLIP as a ‘Man-Made Calamity’
Telangana’s Irrigation Minister, N Uttam Kumar Reddy, remarked recently that the NDSA has labeled the Kaleshwaram Project as “perhaps the greatest man-made disaster in India.”
The KLIP controversy was instrumental in shaping the narrative of the 2023 Telangana assembly elections and bolstered the allegations made against the erstwhile BRS-led government.
--Advertisement--
