BJP ups ante on flaws in Kaleshwaram project

Hyderabad: The BJP on Wednesday stepped up its ante against the State government, demanding an answer for the repeated reoccurrences of fault lines in the Kaleshwaram project.

Addressing the media here, former DGP and State spokesperson Krishna Prasad said reports of water and sand being sucked from bottom of pillars 28 and 38 of the Saraswati's barrage, near Annaram, were ‘disturbing’. ‘Whenever there is rain flaws in KLIP come to light. Also the risk will be higher if water pressure mounts.

He alleged that engineers at the project are dumping sandbags and trying to fill sand erosion to mitigate the problem. Currently the barrage has five tmcft and on Wednesday 2,357 cusecs was released downstream." Prasad said earlier reports suggested that the barrage pillars were sagging; and how are such incidents have been recurring ?, he asked.

The BJP leader said the Annaram barrage was constructed for irrigating 11.5 lakh acres. Earlier too the barrage motors were submerged in floods. They were brought out, repaired and refitted. He questioned was not the agency concerned with repaying and getting the flaws repaired.

‘The issue is who are the engineers who designed the project? People need an answer in the wake of repeated occurrence of such incidents. Why quality works are not executed.

He criticised the government for remaining silent on sagging of the barrage pillars and said, "people are waiting to teach a lesson to the BRS in 30 days."