No Politics in Ghose Probe, Says Bhatti

Addressing a press conference after the Cabinet meeting, Bhatti said that Telangana, a state that had long struggled and agitated for equitable access to water resources, was betrayed by the very project that was once billed as its lifeline.

“The Kaleshwaram project, constructed at a staggering cost of over ₹1 lakh crore, has virtually collapsed due to personal decisions and political interference,” Bhatti stated. He added that the commission unequivocally found that financial indiscipline and technical oversight had marred every stage of the project, from planning to execution.

Bhatti stressed that the findings were not politically motivated but were a direct reflection of the commission’s report. “This is not a political report. We are simply presenting what the Justice Ghose commission has concluded,” he said.

Citing the findings of the Ghose commission, Bhatti said the decision to construct the three key barrages was taken unilaterally by then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, bypassing government channels. “There was no official decision by the Cabinet in this regard,” he said. He also refuted the claim made by then finance minister Etala Rajendar that a Cabinet sub-committee decision was formally ratified. “The commission clearly stated that the Cabinet never gave its approval. Rajendar misreported this to the inquiry panel,” Bhatti said.

He noted that critical groundwork was ignored. “For the modified barrages at Annaram and Sundilla, no backwater studies or geophysical investigations were conducted. Designs were prepared without field data, and there were inexplicable delays,” he added.

The Deputy CM also found fault with the explanation provided by the previous BRS government for shifting the barrage location from Tummidihatti. “The claim that there was no water availability at Tummidihatti is incorrect, as per the expert engineers’ committee. The shift in site lacked a sound technical rationale,” he asserted.