Revanth Orders CBI Probe into Kaleshwaram Project

Revanth Reddy said that the state government would not spare anyone indicted in the Justice Ghose report. He said the commission had held responsible the then BRS leadership, IAS officers and irrigation department officials, recommending criminal cases against them.

The government, he assured, would act strictly in accordance with those recommendations after consulting all stakeholders and political parties. “We do not want to act in haste or take unilateral decisions. The House has been taken into confidence to ensure transparency before moving ahead,” he stated.

Revanth Reddy launched a blistering attack on former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and former irrigation minister T. Harish Rao, alleging that the Kaleshwaram project was conceived as a vehicle to siphon off public money. He accused the former CM of attempting to become wealthier than the Nizam, the Adanis and Ambanis by pushing a faulty design and ignoring warnings from experts.

He said the shifting of the project from Tummidihatti to Medigadda was not for irrigation needs but to enable massive corruption, which the commission assessed as running into nearly `1 lakh crore.

The Chief Minister emphasised that Maharashtra had never objected to the Pranahitha-Chevella project at Tummidihatti and had only sought a reduction in the barrage height. Despite this, he alleged, Chandrashekar Rao had altered the design, sidelining recommendations of a committee of retired engineers. These objections were recorded in the commission’s report.

Revanth Reddy charged Harish Rao with misleading the Assembly and society by suppressing facts. He referred to Union water resources ministry communications in October 2014, when then Union minister Uma Bharti had confirmed the availability of 205 tmc ft of water for the Pranahita-Chevella project and cleared hydrology permissions. “When the Centre had accorded approvals, why did Harish Rao write fresh letters seeking clarifications,” the Chief Minister asked, calling it an attempt to create confusion and justify the redesign.

He said Harish Rao’s role in the lapses was specifically highlighted in Page 98 of the commission report. He demanded that misleading remarks made by Harish Rao in the House be expunged from the records. He alleged that the BRS deliberately changed names and shifted locations of the project for personal enrichment, remarking that if irrigation expert Vidyasagar Rao were alive “he would have jumped into the Kaleshwaram waters after hearing these lies.”

Revanth Reddy further pointed out that even Harish Rao, in parts of his own deposition before the commission, admitted helplessness in stopping his uncle Chandrashekar Rao and brother-in-law K.T. Rama Rao from exploiting the project. This, he argued, exposed the internal contradictions of BRS leadership and explained their attempts to obstruct debate and discredit the inquiry. He challenged Harish Rao to propose which investigating agency should take up the commission’s findings if he was confident of innocence.

Reiterating that Telangana’s statehood was achieved through a struggle against injustice, the Chief Minister said the Kaleshwaram project under BRS rule had turned into a monument of betrayal. He urged the House to stand united in ensuring that misinformation did not dilute the truth revealed by the Justice Ghose commission.