Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has remarked that former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao redesigned the PCSS Project as Kaleshwaram project with the mala fide intention of minting money and surpassing the wealth of the world’s richest man of the time, VII Nizam (Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last Nizam of Hyderabad). The Chief Minister asked the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leadership to decide what kind of inquiry they wish to face -- ED, IT, CB CID or SIT -- considering that the Ghose Commission report has nailed the BRS government.

Participating in the debate on the Ghose Commission report tabled in the Assembly on Sunday, he accused KCR and his nephew and BRS legislator T Harish Rao of planning to earn the wealth through wrongful means and hence decided to construct the Kaleshwaram project. “Both Uncle and nephew planned to pocket Rs 1 lakh crore through the project. They changed the location from the original Pranahita-Chevella to Medigadda,” he alleged.

The Chief Minister fired a salvo at Harish Rao for distorting facts on the Kaleshwaram project during the debate. He questioned the escalation of the project cost; misappropriation of funds borrowed for the construction of the project and change of the location of the project sites. He said that Harish Rao was misleading the House with incomplete information. “The then Union minister Uma Bharti clearly said on 24-10-2014 that water is available in Pranahita Chevella and hydrology permissions have also been given. It was Harish Rao who wrote a letter again even after the Centre made it clear on the availability of 205 TMC of water. The then Congress government had accorded permission based on availability of water in 2009. Why did Harish Rao write a letter again even after being informed of the availability of water?” he asked.

The Chief Minister criticised the BRS government for deliberately suppressing the records. “The BRS leaders are spewing venom for being exposed in the Ghose Commission report. The report clearly mentioned on page number 98 that Harish Rao committed faults,” he said.

The Chief Minister requested the Assembly Speaker to expunge the comments made by Harish Rao from the records. The BRS rulers constructed the project by changing names and towns for amassing wealth. “If Irrigation expert Vidyasagar Rao were alive, he would have committed suicide by jumping into the same Kaleshwaram without listening to the BRS leaders’ lies,” he commented.

The Chief Minister pointed out that the Maharashtra government had never opposed the project at Tummidihetti and only suggested reducing the height. He brought to the attention of the House that KCR and Harish Rao ignored the Retired Engineers Committee report on Medigadda. KCR suppressed the report submitted by retired engineers and shifted the barrage to Medigadda from Tummidihetti. “The warning clause at Tummidihetti was also mentioned in the case of Medigadda. It was also mentioned on page number 72 in the Ghose Commission report. Why Harish Rao is venting his anger on the Commission’s report”, the CM asked, while appealing to the BRS leader to refrain from spreading propaganda.