Explosive Kaleshwaram Report Holds KCR, Ex-Ministers, Officials 'Accountable' for Project Flaws

Telangana: The Justice P.C. Ghose commission of inquiry into the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) issues is learnt to have arrived at several conclusions that could have explosive outcomes, holding responsible not just several officials, but even former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for various acts of omission and commission that resulted in serious problems at the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages and financial implications of the decisions taken.

It is learnt that the commission’s 650-page report in three volumes, was explicit in identifying Chandrashekar Rao as “directly and vicariously accountable” for “irregularities in planning, execution, completion, operation & maintenance” of the barrages. The report is learnt to have found that the former chief minister also had a role to play in “price adjustments, contract amendments, and financial guarantees in review meetings”.

The commission’s axe also is learnt to have fallen pretty heavily on former irrigation and finance ministers in the BRS regime – T. Harish Rao and Etala Rajendar who is now a BJP MP. The report, it is learnt held Harish Rao responsible for “giving random instructions without accountability” and for “undermining administrative process.”

The commission also pointed to their “disowning financial responsibility” along with deferring “all accountability to Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation Limited (KIPCL) despite the finance department being on the KIPCL board.”

The commission, in its report that is slated for discussion at the August 4 Cabinet meeting, also devoted a significant space to the roles of several senior bureaucrats including those who served in the then Chief Minister’s Office, as well as officials of the irrigation department.

Among those learnt to have figured in the report are former principal secretary (irrigation) S.K. Joshi who was found responsible for suppressing a critical expert committee report that would have blocked the construction of the Medigadda barrage, while the then chief minister’s additional secretary Smitha Sabharwal was learnt to have been mentioned as having “failed to present crucial files before (the) Cabinet” and thus violated business rules.

The commission is learnt to have found that as part of all the goings on with respect to the Kaleshwaram project barrages, even the Central Water Commission of the Centre was misled. It also made it clear that the contractor companies — L&T for Medigadda, Afcons for Annaram, and Navayuga for Sundilla — must be held liable for rectification of defects and repairs to the barrages at their cost.

With respect to the worst-hit Block 7 of Medigadda barrage, the commission is learnt to have said that L&T must “complete restoration” of the damaged block, and “rectify defects” at its own cost. For Annaram and Sundilla, it held Afcons and Navayuga liable for defect rectification during their defect liability period, also at their own cost.

The report is learnt to have dealt with in detail the roles of various irrigation department engineers, and the department’s different divisions, with particular focus on designs, and operations and maintenance (O&M) of the barrages, and testing of models whose results played a key role in all of these aspects.

Coming down heavily on the chief engineer of the department’s Central Designs Organisation (CDO), along with chief engineers and engineers of the Telangana Engineering Research Laboratories, engineer in chief of KLIS, and several other engineers associated with the project, the commission is learnt to have found them responsible for “flaws in designs without model studies, poor construction quality, lack of third-party vetting, and ineffective O&M.”

The commission is further learnt to have concluded that executive and superintending engineers were ‘liable for wrongful, illegal certification to favour contractors’ with respect to completion certificates issued for Medigadda barrage. With respect to the Annaram and Sundilla barrages, the report said the quality control engineers were liable for defects/leakages overlooked at the time of certification.

Making matters worse for the irrigation department, the report also found that the ENC (O&M), as well as the dam safety division are liable for “complete failure” of operation and maintenance at the barrages.

Naming specific engineers for their role in suppression of “facts about contract nature (lump sum vs turnkey)” and for “misleading the Central Water Commission and ignoring expert committee reports”, the commission is said to have made it clear that this was the doing of the then ENC C. Muralidhar, and B. Hari Ram, the then chief engineer of the Pranahita Chevella Srujala Sravanthi project.

Coming down hard on engineers A. Narender Reddy, T. Srinivas, and Omkar Singh, the commission held them accountable for false depositions before it.

On financial irregularities through KIPCL, the commission found that its past and present board members must be held responsible for acting as loan facilitators without oversight, misappropriating public money, and ignoring project appraisals and revenue generation obligations. The commission is learnt to have particularly held responsible finance and irrigation department officials on the KIPCL board “for criminal breach of trust and misappropriation”.

Who did what

The Justice P.C. Ghose commission of inquiry report pins responsibility on political leaders and officials for the issues that struck the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme. It also examined the financial implications of the decisions taken.

The report is set to be examined by the Cabinet on Monday.

Former CM K. Chandrashekar Rao (irrigation minister in his second term): Directly and vicariously accountable for irregularities in planning, execution, completion, O&M of barrages. Involved in price adjustments, contract amendments, and financial guarantees.

Former finance minister Etala Rajendar (now with BJP): Disowning financial responsibility, deferring all accountability to Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation Limited, though finance department was on its board.

Former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao: Random instructions sans accountability, undermining administrative process

Former principal secretary (irrigation) S.K. Joshi: Suppressed critical expert committee report that would have blocked the Medigadda barrage construction.

Then CM’s former additional secretary Smitha Sabharwal: Failed to present crucial files before Cabinet, violation of business rules.

Former ENC C. Muralidhar, CE B. Hari Ram: Suppressed facts about nature of contracts, misled Central Water Commission, among other charges.

L&T for Medigadda: Not entitled for any certificates, must repair and rectify Block 7 at its cost.

Afcons for Annaram, Navayuga for Sundilla:– Liable for rectification at their cost.