Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to provide in two weeks the details of the steps it plans to take to investigate alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation scheme (KLIS) in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district.
A two-judge bench comprising chief justice Alok Aradhe and justice J Anil Kumar sought the details while hearing a Public Interest Ligitation (PIL) filed by Telanagan Congress vice-president G Niranjan. The petitioner sought a full-fledged inquiry by the Centre, National Disaster Management Authority, the RBI, and National Dam Safety Authority, particularly into the sinking of piers at Medigadda barrage.
When additional advocate general Imran Khan told the bench that it would be better if the Centre filed an affidavit on the issue, the bench asked him to file an affidavite explaining what the government intended to do. “You are taking some steps, tell us about them,” the bench said.
Highlighting that the KLIS was constructed at and estimated cost of Rs 1.25 lakh crore and over Rs 86,000 crore was raised as unsecured loans from banks and financial institutions, the petitioner arrayed Serious Fraud Investigation Organisation (SFIO), Centre Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC), and Power Finance Corporation Limited (PFC) as parties.
He further contended that the Medigadda barrage was rendered useless after a special six-member National Dam Safety Authority committee inspected it after sinking of some piers at Medigadda barrage.
