Govt sacks Irrigation ENC Muralidhar

Hyderabad: A day before the start of the budget session of the Assembly, the government on Wednesday took a major decision removing Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation) C Muralidhar from the services. Muralidhar was said to be a ‘trusted engineer’ of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao.

The removal of the top official of the Irrigation wing assumed political significance following government’s readiness to expose the previous BRS government on the Kaleshwaram project and release a whitepaper on irrigation during the budget session.

The government was also taking steps to remove some top irrigation officials who were part of the construction of the Kaleshwaram project. It is learnt that Kaleshwaram project ENC (in-charge, Ramagundam) C Venkateshwara Rao would also be removed from the service.

The government is preparing a report to fix the responsibility on irrigation officials for the damage of Medigadda barrage and Annaram and Sundilla pump houses.

Sources said that Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has asked Muralidhar to resign from the post. The retired senior irrigation official was appointed as ENC soon after the BRS came to power in 2014. KCR entrusted the ENC with the responsibility of taking up major irrigation projects in the state. Muralidhar was serving as E-in-C for the last nine years. Sources said that the Vigilance report which is being tabled in the budget session would also explain in detail the role of Muralidhar and Venkateshwar Rao in the mismanagement of the Kaleshwaram project and the alleged irregularities in the completion of the lift scheme.