Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has made a significant decision to hand over the Kaleshwaram project investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This decision was taken after a long discussion on the report of the Justice PC Ghosh Commission in the state assembly.
Hyderabad: The Congress government in the Telangana Assembly has made an important and sensational decision. The government has decided to investigate the financial irregularities related to the construction of the Kaleshwaram Barrage. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has announced that the investigation of this project will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Meanwhile, a long discussion on the report of the Justice PC Ghosh Commission continued in the Assembly until midnight on Sunday.
Various aspects of the Kaleshwaram Commission report were debated for approximately nine and a half hours. The Chief Minister stated during this time that the report clearly revealed several flaws and irregularities in the project, necessitating investigation and action.
Negligence in Construction and Design Flaws
The Chief Minister said that the construction of all three barrages was carried out without proper planning and involved issues such as design flaws, lack of quality inspection, and deliberate concealment of facts. Specifically, the failure of the Medigadda Barrage was attributed to negligence in planning, design defects, and shortcomings in quality control. Revanth Reddy stated that the commission has recommended a thorough and comprehensive investigation into all these issues.
Not only the state government but also central government organizations were involved in the Kaleshwaram project. Central agencies like WAPCOS participated in the design and construction, while financial institutions like PFC and REC provided funding for the project. The Justice PC Ghosh Commission suggested that the investigation should be handed over to the CBI due to the inter-state aspects of the matter. Based on this, the Telangana government decided on a CBI investigation. The Chief Minister said, "We hope that this investigation will lead to the punishment of all those involved in corruption and looting."
How much money was spent on the project?
CM Revanth Reddy informed that approximately one lakh crore rupees have been spent on the Kaleshwaram project so far.
- Total Borrowings: Rs 85,449 crore
- From PFC: Rs 27,738 crore (11.5% interest)
- From REC: Rs 30,536 crore (12% interest)
- Payments made so far: Rs 49,835 crore
- Remaining Debt: Rs 60,869 crore
- Additional amount required to complete the project: Approximately Rs 47,000 crore
The Chief Minister stated that the public had fought for the creation of a separate Telangana state for this project, but immense losses were incurred due to financial and constructional negligence. The PC Ghosh Commission submitted its report to the state government on July 31. The cabinet approved it on August 4. After the debate on this report in the Assembly on Sunday, the government announced the CBI investigation.
