Ghose Report Gives Dates Indicating 'Haphazard' Decision Making
The report focused considerable attention on the sequence of decision making
Hyderabad: The Justice P.C. Ghose commission of inquiry report has held that the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages from their “conception” till their “completion, and rather still the distress caused to the barrages in the year 2023,” have seen “rampant and brazen procedural and financial irregularities in planning, tendering, construction, operation and maintenance of these three barrages.”
Further, the commission, among the details of its report, indicated that the executive (officials) was likely under intense pressure from the ‘political executive’ to implement its decisions. “The moot question which strikes to the reasonably comprehensive mind is, whether the executive would implement the policy of the government in such improper and haphazard manner otherwise than under the firm and coercive instructions and directions of the political executive?” the commission wondered.
The report focused considerable attention on the sequence of decision making, also said that “the decision to construct the barrages at Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla is of the then chief minister (K. Chandrashekar Rao) alone.”
The report said amidst ‘haphazard’ the decision-making process, field studies and investigations by Wapcos, which were part of the organization’s mandate for preparing the DPR, were “done during the second half of the year 2017, that too, they are got done by NIT - Hyderabad and Warangal through the agencies (companies contracted to build the barrages).”
Noting the sequence of events, the commission report said the sequence “is ex facie ambiguous, haphazard and most improper planning of major irrigation projects involving thousands of crores of public money and these barrages are claimed to be the life line of the State of Telangana.”
Some important dates as per the report
Wapcos, nominated to prepare the detailed project report, submitted part report on 17.1.2016.
Same day, then chief minister K. Chadnrashekar Rao directed preparing of estimates; this was duly done.
A technical (IBM) committee approved estimates for construction of the three barrages on 11.2.2016.
Administrative approvals for barrages granted on 1.3.2016, before Wapcos submitted final DPR on 27.3.2016.
Inter-State Board meeting on 23.8.2016 resolved to solve inter-state issues
The then CM in his letter to the PM on 11.2.2016 mentioned the estimate of Kaleshwaram project as `71,436 crore.
