Core-cutting samples being collected from a damaged pier of Medigadda barrage.
| Photo Credit: By Special Arrangement
hyderabad
The Vigilance & Enforcement department, which is investigating the damage of Medigadda barrage under Kaleshwaram project, is understood to have finalised its preliminary report with a prima facie conclusion that the contract agency (L&T) had handed over a defective structure to the Irrigation department in 2019.
Sources in the agency stated that they have finalised the preliminary report for submitting it to the government after going through piles of documents and visiting the site multiple times to examine the damages suffered by the structure and taking core cutting samples of the damaged areas, including piers, for analysing them in labs.
The agency is also said to have refused to counter-sign the witness testimony document after taking the core-cutting samples of the damaged areas in the presence of Irrigation engineers and L&T officials earlier this week. The samples in sizes of 9 to 15 inches length were collected in different areas where the structure is damaged.
Samples sent to labs
The samples were sent to designated quality-check labs seeking report on the quality of materials used in construction. “The engineers have signed the document but L&T representatives have refused to follow. However, they have made calls a couple of days later, expressing willingness to sign but it’s of no use as it has to be done on the spot,” an investigating officer said.
In fact, they were shocked to find from the Irrigation department that they have no records on the maintenance of the barrage since its inauguration in 2019. “When we asked for the maintenance records, the Irrigation officials put a blank face and sought time and later, wrote to L&T for the same. The department does not even have copies,” the investigating official explained.
Violations of rule book
It is learnt that the investigation has found violations of every rule book during the construction period and later on deviations in every step. Against the mandate of conducting ultrasound and sub-strata pre-monsoon tests every year for barrages, there was no evidence of such tests being done in the case of the Medigadda barrage.
The probe agency is also scouting for defect liability and maintenance clauses in the contracts in projects such as Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar to correlate them with the contract clauses of Medigadda barrage.
