The reported sinking of one of the pillars of the Lakshmi (Medigadda) barrage of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) on Saturday night sparked allegations of ‘poor quality of works’ and ‘design flaws’ by the leaders of both the Congress and the BJP.
All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary and Manthani MLA D Sridhar Babu staged a sit-in near the Medigadda barrage site late on Sunday afternoon in protest against the alleged denial of entry to the barrage to take stock of the situation. He was allowed to visit the barrage later in the day.
Mr. Sridhar Babu told the media that the denial of entry to the media was giving rise to suspicion that an attempt was being made to conceal some ‘flaws’ in the design of the Medigadda barrage. During the construction of the much-publicised KLIP, the persons at the helm did not heed the advice of technical experts, who expressed doubts over the feasibility of the redesigning of the project, he alleged.
The BRS government has earlier organised bus tours for visitors from other States to the Medigadda barrage site amid much fanfare, he charged, saying, “Let them now allow people to know the exact condition of the Medaram barrage by allowing at least the media to the site.”
Meanwhile, speaking to the media after visiting the Medigadda barrage late on Sunday evening, State BJP Election Campaign Committee chairman and Huzurabad MLA E Rajender alleged that the ’sinking’ of two to three pillars of the barrage exposed the defects in the very design of the project.
The submergence of three pump houses including Medigadda of the KLIP during floods in July 2022 and the damage to a few pillars of the Medigadda barrage on Saturday laid bare the flaws in the project design, Mr. Rajender charged.
He further alleged that the sudden release of water from the Medigadda barrage following the incident left people living in the villages surrounding the project in panic. Some villagers had reportedly lost their cattle, he said.
