Hyderabad: The debate on Justice PC Ghose Commission’s report on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project witnessed a major uproar and heated exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition on Sunday. Intervening during the discussion by BRS MLA T Harish Rao on Commission’s report in Assembly on Sunday, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy accused the BRS regime of redesigning the project to loot over a lakh of rupees. He questioned the spending on projects which witnessed heightened escalation of cost. Minister Jupalli Krishna Rao asked as to how Medigadda was positioned better when compared to Thummadi Hatti, as there were no tributaries contributing to Godavari.

Responding to him, Harish Rao said the CWC report gave where the 248 TMCs of water comes from near Medigadda. “There is a distance of 116 km from Tummidihetti to Medigadda. 16 streams come from Maharashtra. The expert committee said that it is not possible to lift water directly from Medigadda to Mid Manair,” said Harish Rao to the applause of the party legislators. In his response, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Opposition was laughing at the destruction of a lakh crore project. “They should be ashamed of laughing. Shifting from Tummidi Hatti to Medigadda is just to loot. There is no report of retired engineers which was cited by Harish Rao. “Construction of project near Medigadda is clear case of conspiracy,” said Uttam

Amid uproar, Harish Rao asked, “The Ghosh Commission ignored the expert committee report. That’s why we call it the PCC Commission report. Wasn’t it Congress that called tenders for Pranahita Chevella in 2007-08 and gave the DPR in 2010? If the DPR is wrong, how will the permissions be granted?”

BRS leaders alleged that Congress attempted to suppress their voice by not giving them time to speak during the discussion on the PC Ghose Commission. Late in the evening, protesting against the alleged authoritarianism of the Congress government, BRS MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly and reached Gun Park on foot.