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Judicial Probe into Kaleshwaram to Follow Money Trail to Sub-Contractors

HYDERABAD: The judicial commission inquiring into alleged irregularities in planning, construction and maintenance of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project, will investigate the sub-contracts given to various companies by the agencies which were awarded the contracts to build the barrages.

This was revealed by Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose heading the commission on Saturday. The agencies had sub-contracted the work to about 10 to 15 companies. Just who did what can be found when the payments made by the agencies are checked, Justice Ghose said during an informal chat with mediapersons.
Anyone that the commission calls for deposing before it must attend, he said, adding that the first phase of inquiries with irrigation department engineers, currently serving and retired, has been completed. Further interactions and questioning might be required after all the affidavits submitted to the commission are studied, he said.
Justice Ghose on Saturday also met with a team of retired irrigation engineers who were part of the Anantaramulu committee that was tasked by the then BRS government to submit its report on feasibility of the Kaleshwaram project and locating a barrage at Medigadda.
The team is learnt to have informed Justice Ghose that the then chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, and the then irrigation minister that after their study in 2015, they submitted a report recommending that Medigadda was not a suitable location for constructing a barrage.
“There was no acknowledgement of our report and Medigadda as the site was picked by Chandrashekar Rao despite the committee proposing that the original location at Tumidihatti should be the one where the barrage should be built,” the team members are learnt to informed the commission.


( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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