Why Was Pranahita-Chevella Junked in Favour of Medigadda? Judicial Probe Seeks Answers
HYDERABAD: The Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project, conceived by the then Congress government and set aside by the BRS government of K. Chandrashekar Rao after the formation of Telangana, will be a subject of interest for the Justice P.C. Ghose-led judicial commission inquiring into various aspects of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS).
As part of the ongoing inquiry, Justice Ghose sought information on the reasons why the Pranahita-Chevella project was not pursued by the BRS government, and why it insisted on the redesigned Kaleshwaram project. Justice Ghose is learnt to have sought the report of the expert committee of retired engineers who had submitted a report to the then BRS government on Pranahita-Chevella project and the reasons why their recommendations were not followed.
It may be recalled that the committee of retired engineers, set up by the then Chandrashekar Rao government, had recommended that the original project site at Tummidihatti on Pranahita river be considered for construction of the project, and warned against building a barrage at Medigadda located after the confluence of the Pranahita and Godavari rivers.
The judicial commission is learnt to have sought a final report of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on action to be taken on Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram project.
The commission has also sought a report from the Central Water and Power Research Station, Pune which was tasked by the state government to study the condition of the three barrages, as well as a final report from the Vigilance and Enforcement Wing on its findings following its own investigation into various irregularities in the planning, execution, construction, and maintenance of the barrages, and other aspects of the entire project.
It is learnt that the commission’s term could be extended as much more work needed to be done, including holding open hearings for about 10 days once it completed interviews and depositions from engineers, the companies that built the barrages, and received affidavits, and reports.
Originally, the commission was to submit its report to the government by the end of June but with the model code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections in force for several weeks, it could not proceed with its investigations. The state government is likely to extend the term of the commission to give it adequate time to complete its work and prepare its report.