Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party leader N Ramchander Rao has demanded the state government to immediately hand over the Kaleshwaram project investigation to the CBI.
Speaking to ANI on Friday, he stated, “The Kaleshwaram project has been constructed with more cost than required. From time to time, both in the council and in the assembly, the BJP has maintained that the Kaleshwaram project is an ATM for the BRS government.”
Rao emphasised that, following the CAG report, the matter should now be given to the CBI for investigation. “Now, after the CAG’s report, that there has been a wasteful expenditure purposefully to make quick money, I think that the matter should now be given to the CBI for investigation. … We demand that the Congress government in Telangana hand over the Kaleshwaram issue investigation to the CBI immediately,” he said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report that was tabled in the state Assembly on Thursday stated that the multi-purpose Lift Irrigation Project on the Godavari River in Telangana’s Kaleshwaram of the previous BRS in Telangana is “economically unviable.”
The cost of the project is now likely to exceed Rs 1.4 lakh crore (Rs 1,47,427.41 crore) as against the cost of (Rs 81,911.01 crore) projected to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the CAG report stated.
The absence of a comprehensive plan duly spelling out the sources of funds for a project of this scale will have a long-term impact on the finances of the State, and is an indication of improper planning, the CAG report stated.
The CAG report stated that out of the total expenditure of Rs 86,788.06 crore incurred on the project (March 2022), an expenditure of Rs 55,807.86 crore (i.e., 64.3 per cent) was met from the off-budget borrowings (OBBs) raised by KIPCL. KIPCL is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up by the BRS government to handle finances related to Kaleshwaram.
The Government of Telangana has not accorded administrative approval of the project as a whole and instead, it has issued separate approvals i.e. as many as 73 administrative approvals aggregating to Rs 1,10,248.48 crore; there are no orders from the Government about the funding pattern for the project.
The possibility of undue benefit of at least Rs 2,684.73 crore to contractors for supply and commissioning of pumps, motors etc., cannot be ruled out, the CAG report stated Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Tuesday had inspecting the damaged pillars of the Laxmi Medigadda Barrage and addressed media persons.
While talking to ANI, the BJP leader said, “Congress government under the leadership of Revanth Reddy and another side opposition leader, KCR, both are indulging in creating a false impression, and they are undertaking misinformation campaign both sides.”
“The government is expected to investigate the malpractices, corruption and other fraudulent tactics used in the Kaleshwaram project, find the responsible people and culprits, and ultimately punish them,” said Muralidhar Rao.
