Hyderabad: The state government is set to decide on the future course of action on the two reports submitted by judicial commissions probing alleged irregularities in the execution of the Kaleshwaram project and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). Official sources said that decisions on the matter will be made before the upcoming monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly, which is expected to begin in the third week of August.
The two commissions — Justice P.C. Ghose commission, which submitted its report on Thursday, and Justice Lokur Commission, which handed over its findings in October 2024, — were both set up by the Congress government to investigate suspected irregularities in the projects carried out under the previous BRS regime.
Sources suggested that both reports are likely to be presented and discussed at the next Cabinet meeting, expected on August 12, and would likely be cleared to be tabled during the Legislative Assembly session expected in the third week of August.
Despite being submitted almost nine months ago, the Justice Lokur commission’s report has not yet been made public, nor has it been discussed in any Cabinet meeting.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, according to the sources, has been waiting for both reports to be finalised before presenting them to the Cabinet for discussion and approval. He plans to table the reports in both the Assembly and the Council, aiming to hold an extensive debate on their contents and seek feedback from all parties on the next steps.
Once the reports are made public, political temperatures are expected to rise further, as both commissions have reportedly pointed fingers at former chief minister and BRS head K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Testimonies from key officials in the power and irrigation departments, who were summoned by the commissions, have indicated that many of the controversial decisions regarding the Kaleshwaram project and PPAs were made at the direct behest of Chandrashekar Rao.
These officials stated that they merely followed orders from the then Chief Minister and had no significant role in the decision-making processes related to the project designs of Kaleshwaram or the signing of PPAs with the Chhattisgarh government.
The Congress government has faced increasing criticism for not taking concrete action, despite being in power for 20 months. against those allegedly responsible for the irregularities during the BRS regime. The Congress government has maintained that it will act cautiously and not in haste, ensuring that any steps taken are based on the thorough findings of the commissions, rather than on political motivations.
The release of the judicial commissions’ reports is expected to provide the Congress leadership with the necessary framework to take decisive action on these issues.
