With monsoon approaching, the State government is in a serious dilemma in dealing with the damaged piers of the Medigadda barrage of the Kaleshwaram project even as the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has reported that the risk factor will continue even if restoration measures are taken up.
Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy is said to have told Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and his other Cabinet colleagues that the NDSA report has not guaranteed the continuing stability of the barrage even if repairs are taken up. The way ahead is a huge issue with monsoon approaching and pressure building up to store the water for lifting it to other barrages.
The danger was noticed in 2019 itself, according to the Minister, but the then government had chosen to ignore it. The Chief Minister, during a brief interaction with his Cabinet colleagues on Saturday, is said to have indicated that the issue needs urgent discussion given its seriousness and the recommendations of the NDSA to prevent further damage.
The government is of the view that urgent repairs should be taken up to meet irrigation requirements at least for this season and the long-term solution has to be found after discussing the NDSA report. The issue will be discussed at length at the Cabinet meeting likely to be held on Monday. Mr. Revanth Reddy has also suggested an inspection of the Medigadda and Sundilla barrages by the Ministers.
CM for action
The Chief Minister is said to have expressed the view that L&T, executing agency of the Medigadda barrage, has to take total responsibility for the restoration with no monetary damages to the government. He is said to be disappointed with the way the agency first agreed to take up repair on its own and backtracked later. He also wanted action against the engineers who gave the completion certificate first and later, an extension of time certificate to the agency.
NDSA’s interim report
The NDSA submitted an interim report recently on the restoration of the barrages that are key elements in the entire Kaleshwaram project. The NDSA was requested to study and make its recommendations after three piers of the Medigadda barrage developed cracks and a part of the barrage sunk in October 2023. The barrage was emptied to save the structures, according to officials who said no water could be lifted during summer, fearing further damage to the structure.
Political issue
The sinking of the barrage just before the Assembly elections led to a political uproar with the Congress party using it as a tool to attack the BRS government. It termed it as a ‘loot of State resources’ and raised questions about the project’s utility given the cracks to the piers within a few years.
Surprisingly, the then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao maintained silence on the project for the most part of the election campaign and opened up only when there was a relentless attack on the ‘corruption’ aspect in the project and flawed design apart from poor quality of works. It put the BRS at a disadvantage as it always termed the lift irrigation project as the biggest such planned entirely by Mr. Rao.
Judicial commission
After the Congress formed the government last December, it set up a judicial commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose. The Commission will look into the project in its entirety including the design faults, construction quality and the alleged corruption.
