Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy said that during the depositions before the commission of inquiry on the Kaleshwaram project, the blame would go all the way up the hierarchy—from assistant engineers (AEs) to deputy engineers (DEs), executive engineers (EEs), superintendents, chief engineers (CEs), the engineer-in-chief (ENC), the irrigation minister, and ultimately the chief minister.
He said that everyone would claim the instructions came from the high command.
Addressing the newly-appointed assistant executive engineers (AEEs) at the Jala Soudha on Thursday, September 26, the chief minister said that if action is taken against Kaleshwaram irrigation officers involved in the alleged scam, half the department would be vacant.
“Nobody is able to understand on whom the action needs to be taken. Such is the situation,” he exclaimed.
He urged the newly-appointed engineers whether they should take inspiration from Bharat Ratna Mokshagundam Vishweshwaraiah, responsible for projects such as Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, which were still the drinking water source for Hyderabad or from engineers who built the Kaleshwaram project at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore.
“There was a time when the engineers working at the grass-root level refused wrong instructions from their superiors,” he recalled.
“Now, wrong decisions taken by various political executives are being implemented on the ground. If you (newly appointed engineers) put your education, experience and quality behind that paper and send it back, such situations will not arise,” the chief minister noted.
Speaking more on the Kaleshwaram project, CM Revanth said that the cost estimates have increased to Rs 1,47,000 crore. The government has already disbursed pending bills of Rs 1 lakh crore. He further said that in the last ten years, Rs 1,90,000 crore was spent on various irrigation projects in Telangana.
“Yet, only 52,000 acres have been brought under irrigation through Kaleshwaram project, and several projects like Kalwakurthy, SLBC, Nettempadu, Bhima, Palamuru-Rangareddy, and Indirasagar are still pending,” he pointed out.
The chief minister said that incomplete projects are the main reason for inter-state water disputes. “If the projects were completed on time these issues would be resolved as water allocation for all these projects has already been established,” he said.
Assuring the newly-appointed AEEs that they could approach him with any problem the chief minister warned that if they came with recommendations for transfers and favourable postings, it would be discouraged.
