Hyderabad: While the arrested retired engineer-in-chief of the state irrigation department Ch Muralidhar Rao, who was arrested in disproportionate assets (DA) case on Tuesday, has been sent to judicial remand in Chanchalguda jail, ACB officials have intensified investigation and are likely to arrest some more alleged corrupt irrigation officials. Incidentally, their names have already figured in a report submitted by the state Vigilance Commission, headed by former IAS officer MG Gopal.

The Commission recommended the state government to initiate criminal proceedings against 17 officials from the irrigation department (including those who have retired) for their alleged role in the damage to Medigadda barrage and for causing huge financial loss to the state exchequer.

The panel also instructed the government to take action against the contract agency L&T company under the provision of sections 120 (B), 336, 409, 423, and 426 of IPC and also under the provisions of the PC act 1988, the Dam Safety Act 2021 and PDPP Act 1984.

Sources said that the ACB officials were collecting further details about the role of 17 officials, who allegedly swindled money during the construction of the barrage through various channels, including awarding contracts in benami names, inflating the work costs and mobilisation of advances without government approval.

Also under the scanner are the engineer-in-chief (operational) B Rajana Nagendra Rao, T Srinivas (Chief engineer, Adilabad) and V Phanibhushan Sharma (Director of works-accounts) for their reported role in the sordid affair.

A similar fate awaits A Narendar Reddy (retired engineer-in-chief, Central Design Organization-CDO), KSS Chandra Sekhar (SE, CDO, H Baswaraj (SE Siddipet) and H Baswaraj, a former SE in the Siddipet Division, sources said.