Uttam Kumar Reddy Points to corruption behind Medigadda sinking, Annaram leakage
Hyderabad: In the Telangana Assembly, the Congress government introduced a white paper on the state's water resources sector, highlighting the critical importance of the Medigadda barrage in the Kaleshwaram project. Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy described the sinking of this barrage as unfortunate, attributing it to design flaws, construction deficiencies, and supervisory failures. He expressed distress that the project faced the risk of collapse within just three years and released a minute-long video in the Assembly showing the damage at Medigadda.
Uttam blamed the previous government's mismanagement and corruption for the condition at Medigadda. He detailed how the estimated cost escalated from Rs. 1,800 crores in the tender process to Rs. 4,500 crores, indicating massive corruption. He criticized the lack of action and silence from KCR on this issue until the Congress came to power and mentioned that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) attributed the Medigadda disaster to design and supervisory failures in its report.
He also reported new leakage at the Annaram Barrage, raising concerns about its stability. NDSA officials were summoned to inspect the Annaram Barrage, who then suggested partially draining the water to avert danger.
Furthermore, Uttam criticized the Kaleshwaram project as economically futile, stating that while the Central Water Commission (CWC) approved Rs. 81,000 crores for the project, costs escalated to Rs. 1.47 lakh crores. Current estimates suggest that completing the project would require Rs. 2 lakh crores. He warned that projects like Mallanna Sagar were constructed without proper surveys, posing risks even with minor seismic activity, as cautioned by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), endangering people in the vicinity of Mallanna Sagar.