Kaleshwaram a viable project: Harish
Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi senior leader and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao explained the Justice Ghose Commission of inquiry, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the execution of the Kaleshwaram project, the economic viability of the biggest lift irrigation scheme in the state.
The senior BRS leader and then irrigation minister deposed before the Commission on Monday and submitted documentary evidence on how the Kaleshwaram project was designed to generate revenues along the water flow areas, which could be used to repay loans taken from various financial institutions for the construction of the project. Harish Rao briefed Justice Ghose that the then BRS government had borrowed loans to construct the project, which included barrages and reservoirs, by letting financial institutions know about the revenue stream through supply of abundant water to industries for commercial needs.
He elaborated the need for such revenue generation to repay the loans to avoid putting the burden on the state government. However, the Covid-19 pandemic created trouble in implementing the plans relating to revenue generation. The BRS leader said that the project was built to also meet the growing irrigation needs as well as drinking water purpose for Hyderabad city.
When the Commission posed a volley of questions on the project design, water release in the barrages and maintenance of the structures, Harish Rao sought to put the record straight by presenting government orders as well as Central Water Commission and Technical Committee reports. Since the Maharashtra government was opposed to Tummidihetti, he said that the BRS government finalized Medigadda barrage in tune with the recommendations made by Technical Committee and retired engineers' reports.
Harish Rao also narrated the purpose of the constitution of the Cabinet Sub Committee with T Nageswara Rao, E Rajendar and him, stating it which was confined to the study of increasing irrigation facility in the state and that the committee had no role in the Kaleshwaram project. Filling the barrages with water was purely a technical issue and the engineers were responsible for it. The BRS leader said that engineers developed the plan for the entire project based on the technical reports. Relevant WAPCOS reports and CWC letters were placed on record.
Speaking to newsmen after 40 minutes of open court questioning by the Commission, Harish pointed out that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy recently laid the foundation for the Gandamalla Project, which will receive water from the Mallanna Sagar -- a key reservoir of the Kaleshwaram project. Even the proposed Musi River beautification and Hyderabad drinking water supply projects were dependent on water from the Mallanna Sagar.
Coco Cola unit is proof
Harish Rao told the Commission that Coca Cola Company had set up a soft drink manufacturing unit in Siddipet by utilizing water released from the Kaleshwaram project and it was a testimony to the economic viability of the lift irrigation project. Revenue generated from vending Kaleshwaram water to the industries could be a big source of revenue. The previous government had come up with a plan to promote industries all along the water flowing areas in the Kaleshwaram.
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