Medigadda probe may land at KCR’s doorstep

Hyderabad: How did the Dowleswaram irrigation barrage in Andhra Pradesh which was constructed in 1852 lasted till 1970 before being reconstructed and why is it that the newly constructed barrages like Medigadda under Kaleshwaram project developed cracks and piers sunk?

This is the main issue on which the NDSA (National Dam Safety Authority) has begun a probe. The NDSA is studying in detail the designs of the Dowleswaram project, the engineering designs and may compare it with the designs and quality of work executed in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project and who played what role during the execution of the project works. The NDSA has come to the preliminary conclusion that there was negligence in operation and management of the project at every stage and that many files were moved without the knowledge of the Engineer-in-Chief Muralidhran.

On the other hand political parties allege that KCR during his second term had kept Harish Rao out of cabinet for long time.

After Harish Rao was re-inducted he was given the Medical and Health portfolio while KCR had directly monitored the Kaleshwaram project works as he knew what the shortcomings of the project were.

The Dam Safety Authority, sources said, would probe into the role of KCR 2018-2023 and Harish Rao between 2014 and 2018 when he was the Irrigation minister. They would like to understand if there was any political interference in the designs and execution of the project. The NDSA has sought all the details of meetings held by KCR on project safety and his meetings with irrigation officials.

The NDSA team led by Chadrashekhar Iyer is now on a second round of visit to the state to study the damage of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages. During their first round of probe, NDSA visited the project sites and held series of meetings with the Irrigation officials to ascertain the safety of the three barrages and gathered relevant documents, including the Detailed Project Reports, contract agency’s role in the maintenance of the projects and construction quality.

A top official said that the NDSA team was analyzing how KCR as Irrigation minister dealt with the project related issues and whether the CM took instant action when the irrigation officials alerted him about the damage to the barrages. It is being alleged that KCR did not take any action for more than two weeks after the piers of Medigadda barrage had sunk.