Hyderabad: Telangana irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, while presenting a white paper in the Assembly on Saturday, February 17, said that the state government ‘cannot initiate’ new irrigation projects due to outstanding payments of Rs 10,455 crore owed to contractors by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
The white paper also cites a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report criticising the economic viability of the Kaleshwaram Project, projecting its cost to exceed Rs 1,47,427.41 crore, a significant increase from the initially estimated Rs 81,911.01 crore.
“The CAG report indicates a poor Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR), suggesting that the project is economically unfeasible, with every rupee spent yielding only 52 paise in return,” he said, pointing out that the report also mentions the possibility of undue benefits to contractors and avoidable extra payments due to post-tender amendments.
Kaleshwaram irrigation project’s Medigadda, Annaram barrages to remain dry
The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has advised against filling the reservoirs due to these safety concerns. More so, he said that Medigadda and Annaram barrages will have to remain dry. “Both barrages are rendered useless by the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). The authority has asked the State to fill Medigadd and Annaram reservoirs,” N Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
He further added that Annaram Barriage is leaking. “Annaram Barriage started leaking yesterday. When we reported the issue to NDSA they asked us to immediately de-water it, as it might develop cracks too like Medigadda. The central inspection team will arrive to probe Annaram Barriage in the next two or three days,” the irrigation minister said while tabling the white paper.
“The Medigadda Barrage, designed to be a floating structure, was constructed as a rigid one. It did not undergo necessary pre-monsoon and post-monsoon checks as recommended by dam safety authorities,” he pointed out.
It led to the damage and is now rendered useless, he said pointing to concerns supported by findings from the NDSA report, highlighting planning, design, quality control, and maintenance deficiencies as primary reasons for the damage to the barrage infrastructure.
He further said that the state government is committed to following the directions outlined in the CAG report and the NDSA guidelines to address the project’s deficiencies and promised disciplinary action against responsible officials.
“At present, the works on irrigation projects are progressing at various stages. The objective can be achieved only if adequate funds are allocated to provide irrigation water to the maximum catchment area with efficient utilisation without room for corruption,” he said.
