Kaleshwaram Had Six Cabinet Approvals, Three Legislature Endorsements: Harish

 Hyderabad: Former irrigation minister and BRS leader T. Harish Rao on Wednesday submitted documents and proof to Justice P.C. Ghose commission of inquiry, which he said were “to set the record straight” on the issue of Cabinet permissions to the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS).

“We submitted additional information that we had with us. Our effort was to provide the commission as much clear information as possible, especially in light of the false reports being spread in the media on permissions for the project,” he told reporters after his meeting with Justice Ghose.

Harish Rao said “as per our records, the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages had six separate Cabinet approvals, and we submitted the relevant documents. In addition, there were three occasions when the Legislative Assembly endorsed the projects. We also gave details of the discussions and approvals that took place during those sessions,” he said.

He said legislative approval held even greater weight than Cabinet approvals. “Since the commission’s inquiry is ongoing, I cannot disclose these details. When the time comes, we will present all this information in full,” he said.

As the BRS was no longer in government, Harish Rao said he wrote letters to the Chief Secretary, the general administration department secretary, and the irrigation secretary requesting copies of Cabinet decisions, Cabinet notes, and related records from those years.

“However, there has been no response from their side. If the current government truly wants transparency, why are they withholding these documents from us? This raises serious doubts that they may be providing selective or misleading details to the Commission to serve their own agenda,” he said.