Irrigation Officials Urge L&T to Take ‘Ownership’ of Medigadda Repairs
Govt, L&T hold key meeting over damaged Medigadda barrage as CM Revanth Reddy insists on accountability
Hyderabad: Senior officials of the irrigation department on Monday met with representatives from L&T to discuss the possible ways to move forward on repairs to the Medigadda barrage and the eventual rehabilitation of the damaged structure.
It is learnt that during the meeting, irrigation principal secretary Rajul Bojja sought to impress upon the company representatives that L&T should take ownership of all required repairs and work for the rehabilitation of the stricken barrage. Monday’s meeting came in the wake of a November 3 letter from the irrigation department to L&T PES-JV practically issuing an ultimatum to the company that it either fall in line with the government’s demand that the company take up all the required work at Medigadda at its own cost, or else face blacklisting not just in Telangana but also in the rest of the country.
It may be recalled that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had recently made clear that the company would have to take the responsibility for the Medigadda barrage fully, and is also learnt to have given an earful to irrigation department officials on not pursuing the matter with L&T with the seriousness it deserves. The November 3 letter followed this dressing down from the Chief Minister, it is learnt.
On Monday, at the meeting at the Secretariat, Bojja is learnt to have reminded the L&T representatives that the government has already called for expression of interest for preparing designs for rehabilitating the Medigadda barrage. He is also learnt to have told the company that it too should step up to do its part and begin mustering resources needed for the work ahead.
It is learnt that the company representatives informed Bojja that it was not appropriate to say that the company will be blacklisted if it does not accept what the government wants it to do, especially without a full understanding of all the technical aspects of the problems that arose at Medigadda. The company representatives are also learnt to have informed Bojja, at the meeting also attended by Chief Engineer of the Ramagundam irrigation circle Sudhakar Reddy, irrigation department joint secretary K. Srinivas among others, that once the designs for repairs are prepared, then it could hold discussions with the department’s Central Designs Organisation (CDSO) on the work that needs to be done and how that can be done.
