Andhra Pradesh: Justice Ghosh panel questions Kaleshwaram project officials

Hyderabad: Justice Chandra Ghose Commission, which is probing into the damages caused to the Kaleshwaram project, grilled the irrigation officials, who were part of the construction of three barrages – Medigadda, Sundilla and Annaram. The Commission has asked the officials to submit their explanation through affidavits by June 25.

The Commission also summoned former Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation) Muralidhar and Chief Engineer (Kaleshwaram) Venkateswarlu who were removed from the service by the Congress government. The present government is of the opinion that these two officials allegedly played a key role in the finalisation of the contract works, execution and also the operation and Maintenance (O&M) of the three barrages.

Medigadda barrage was damaged after the piers sunk and the two other barrages developed leakages. The quality and fitness of the barrages has been under scrutiny ever since the government found damages in the structures on the Kaleshwaram project.

The Ghose commission questioned the irrigation officials and verified the data gathered from the government and the information they gathered during their visit to the barrages recently.

The commission suspects that some irregularities had occurred in the construction of the barrage. The data provided by the officials raised strong doubts on the misuse of official machinery in the finalisation of the designs and construction of the structures.

The reasons for the damage of the three barrages within the five years after the commissioning of the Kaleshwaram project were important and the probe was in the progress in the same direction. Justice Ghose said that the commission would also question the contract agencies after gathering required information from the irrigation officials.