The One-Man Commission has already examined and collected information from dozens of engineers including those in service and retired and others associated with the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. File
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
HYDERABAD
The Justice P.C. Ghose Commission of Inquiry probing the alleged irregularities in the planning, design, execution, quality control, operation and maintenance of the three barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) is likely to take up the final leg of its work from Monday to submit its report to the State government by the end of its extended term on February 28.
After being instituted in March 14 last year to inquire into the alleged irregularities following sinking of some piers of the Medigadda Barrage along with other damages in Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the KLIP to complete the task in three months, its term was extended thrice in June, August, November and December last year.
The One-Man Commission has already examined and collected information from dozens of engineers including those in service and retired in the ranks of Engineer-in-Chief, Chief Engineer, Superintending Engineer, Executive Engineer in various wings of the Irrigation department and linked to the Kaleshwaram project in one way or the other.
Further, the Commission has summoned several bureaucrats who worked in the Irrigation, Finance and other line departments as also those who volunteered to share information with the panel such as Advisor to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti Sriram Vedire, Telangana Jana Samithi MLC M. Kodandaram, Telangana Joint Action Committee convenor K. Raghu and others.
During the process of examination of witnesses, Justice Ghose cautioned several engineers of the Irrigation department against sharing misleading information or hiding facts or expressing ignorance about documents. The Commission had warned a few such engineers of recommending criminal proceedings if they continued non-cooperation.
According to official sources, the Commission is expected to summon elected representatives who held key positions in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government such as T. Harish Rao and Eatala Rajender, who held the portfolios of Irrigation and Finance, in the final leg of collecting evidence and information. It is likely to call a few more bureaucrats and engineers based on the information collected from the elected representatives.
Before finalising its report, the Commission is expected to collect information from former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao too, who, according to the witnesses deposed before it so far, had played a key role in decision making at different levels of the project execution and used to give oral instructions either in person or indirectly — in other forms such as seeking written information.
Published – January 19, 2025 08:33 pm IST
