Latest news with #KaleshwaramLiftIrrigationProject
Hans India
a day ago
- Politics
- Hans India
BJP MP terms Cong's SIT, KLIP probes as hogwash
Hyderabad: Medak MP Raghunandan Rao has stated that the Congress-led state government is more focused on gaining media attention than on addressing the real issues facing Telangana. Speaking to the media on Friday, he heavily criticised the government for what he termed 'inadequate investigations' into the phone tapping scandal and the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) controversies. He pointed out that the government claims a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to look into a matter that has been ongoing for 18 months, raising concerns that the probe is merely a way to settle scores between the Congress and the BRS. He criticised the SIT for its 'lack of sincerity' and alleged that the government lacks the determination to arrest those who have committed wrongdoings. Raghunandan Rao revealed that phone tapping began during the by-election in Dubbak in 2020. He claimed he filed ten complaints with the then DGP, asserting that the police were listening to his phone calls, but no action was taken. He now alleges that the SIT is sending notices through social media, targeting individuals working at Gandhi Bhavan, who then provide statements suggesting everyone involved is being investigated. He expressed disbelief that his previous letters of complaint have seemingly not reached the SIT. The MP questioned why, despite officials acknowledging the phone tapping, the prime accused, Prabhakar Rao, has not yet been remanded. He asserted that 'the investigation remains incomplete, and they seem to be stalling under the pretence of an ongoing inquiry.' He asked, 'Are the Congress leaders honest?' and claimed that 'unrelated Congress leaders are being called in' to the probe. Expressing doubts about the outcomes of the probe, he stated that the results might ultimately be described as 'Gadida Guddu' , a Telugu idiom for something worthless. He challenged the SIT's sincerity, claiming they are ignoring his case and focusing on the PCC President instead. He further added, 'I have information about who tapped our phones during the Dubbak by-election and when it happened. I am ready to disclose this, but the SIT lacks the courage to reach out. They are politicising this case as they see fit.' The BJP leader also alleged that the Congress government was not committed to bringing to justice those involved in the KLIP corruption case. He charged that the government has allocated 'Indiramma houses' to party members, citing a recent case where a young man committed suicide after being denied land in the Mallannasagar colony. He questioned if this was proper governance, given the government's lack of response to such a tragic incident. Finally, Raghunandan Rao lashed out at the State government for failing to conduct local body elections while blaming the Centre on BC reservations. He said the BJP-led NDA government does not support religion-based reservations, which he claimed is unconstitutional. He suggested that if the Congress removes the 10 per cent of religious-based reservations from its BC reservations bill, the Centre would consider it for a way forward.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Kaleshwaram & Water Resources Infra Loans Default: REC slaps notice on TG govt
Hyderabad: In a significant development, the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited (REC), a Central government agency which extends finance to power projects, has issued a notice to the state government for not paying the installment amount of Rs 1,393 crore towards loans borrowed by the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation Limited (KIPCL) and Telangana State Water Resources Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSWRIDC). The REC also warned that loans availed by both the corporations would be declared as NPAs (non-performing assets) if the state government failed to clear the dues before June notices served by the REC have come as a bolt from the blue at a time when the state government is going through a financial crunch. In a letter to Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja, REC Executive Director Jithin Kumar stated: 'As on date, there is a total overdue of Rs 1393.65 crore of which Rs 319.74 crore and Rs 292.75 crore are critical dues of TSWRIDC and KIPCL, respectively, for the last three months. If not cleared on or before June 28, it will lead to slippage of both accounts into the NPA category.' Furthermore, Jithin Kumar said both the borrower accounts were already classified as Stage-2 category under the Reserve Bank's NPA norms. This delay in serving the dues will have a negative impact on the financial record and rating of the utilities and the state, he remarked. It may be mentioned here that the state government borrowed Rs 27,500 crore from the REC for the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in 2018. At the time of availing the loan, the state government has agreed to repay the loan amount in monthly installments. Officials said that the REC already expressed serious concerns over the poor condition of the project after three barrages – Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla – suffered damages. The delay in repayment will create more problems, they added. Officials said that the issue would be sorted out by seeking the help of the state Finance wing which is supposed to release the funds for the payment of the dues. 'The recent release of massive Rs 9,000 crore under the Rythu Bharosa scheme dented the state's financial position and the government will need more time to mobilize funds to pay such dues,' sources told Hans India.
Hans India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Ghose Commission Inquiry Into Kaleshwaram Project: Team Revanth to submit BRS govt Cabinet records to panel
Hyderabad: With matters coming to a head, the state Cabinet on Monday decided to submit details of Cabinet approvals by the previous BRS government for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, along with minutes of those meetings to the PC Ghose Commission which is inquiring into the irregularities in the multipurpose irrigation project. The Cabinet also decided to continue with dedicated efforts and to 'fight it out' for protecting Telangana's rightful share of water from the Godavari River in the wake of the Bankacherla project proposed by the Andhra Pradesh government. During the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat, the Council of Ministers decided to submit a full report, including the minutes of the previous BRS government's Cabinet meeting to the Ghose Commission. 'The Cabinet discussed the matter at length. It was decided to submit all the details to the commission by June 30. Now everything will be clear as to whether the Cabinet Sub-Committee's recommendations were considered during the Cabinet discussions on the Kaleshwaram project. What purpose the Cabinet Sub-committee served and for what purpose it was constituted? These will be answered", Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said while briefing the media, along with Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar and Vakiti Srihari. The Council of Ministers discussed various issues in-depth, including the Banakacharla project that the Andhra Pradesh government is planning to build. It was reiterated that the Telangana government was ready for discussions over contentious issue. Pongulet blamed the previous BRS government for the Bankacharla project issue and held that the foundation for these were laid during the BRS regime. 'They are creating the upheaval now to cover up this and to save their own skin,' he pointed out. The important inter-state matters discussed included resolving issues with AP, such as those concerning bifurcation. It was decided that the top officials representing committees of both States will hold meetings to resolve the matter. As part of efforts to smoothen the administration, the Cabinet also approved holding quarterly reviews to follow up on the implementation of the Cabinet decisions. It was also decided to hold Cabinet meetings twice a month. The meeting also decided to install statues of Telangana Thalli in all district collectorates by November 9. It was also decided to hold the Rythu Bharosa Vijayotsavalu across Telangana on Tuesday Monday. The Cabinet has given its approval to the new Sports Policy and constitution of Telangana Sports Hub Board of Governance and Telangana Sports Development Fund. The Council of Ministers also approved the Regional Ring Road's South Alignment of 201 km from Choutuppal to Sangareddy, among other decisions. This was the first cabinet meeting following the Cabinet expansion, with the induction of three new ministers --Vivek Venkataswamy, Vakiti Srihari and Aduluri Lakshman, who attended for the first time.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP reiterates demand for CBI probe into Kaleshwaram project irregularities
The BJP has once again reiterated the party's demand for a CBI probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) alleging that there are several corrupt practices that went into its making right from the design stage itself and later in the construction stage. Legislature party leader A. Maheshwar Reddy lead the charge pointing out that the project began with an initial estimate of ₹38,500 crore and the hike to ₹96,000 crore indicated the extent to which the BRS government had manipulated the work. Even after spending that kind of money not even one lakh acres had benefitted from the project. It all started with changing the site from Tummidihatti village to Kaleshwaram, shifting the design to pumping from gravity flow and not taking into account adequate water availability — all these issues were sufficient to go for a full fledged investigation by the CBI, he said. The BJP leader said the recent ACB raid on a senior engineer who had worked in the project and unearthing of a large amount of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income is sufficient to gauge the extent of corruption involved in the work. Mr. Reddy also accused the Congress government of not taking the project probe and even issues like the illegal phone tapping, irregularities into Mission Kakatiya, Mission Bhagiratha, power purchase deals and so on to a logical conclusion and punishing the guilty. 'Is there a secret deal between the BRS and Congress to water down the probes and allow the BRS leaders to get away scot-free,' he questioned. His party colleagues, including Sirpur Kagaznagar MLA Dr. Palvai Harish Rao, Mudhole MLA Rama Rao Patil, MLC Anji Reddy, former MLA NVSS Prabhakar, ex-MLC Gudur Narayana Reddy and others too, charged that the Congress government has been 'protecting' the KCR family by side-stepping the CBI probe demand which Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had rooted for before coming to power. Claiming that there appears to be a concerted effort to water down the Ghose Commission looking into the irrigation project irregularities, the party leaders wanted the Congress government to write a letter to the Centre seeking an investigation by the country's premier agency.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
‘KCR trying to wash his hands of irregularities in KLIP'
Hyderabad: Telangana state BJP Vice-President and former MLA NVSS Prabhakar today accused former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao of attempting to distance himself from the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) by placing the blame on the engineers who appeared before the P C Ghose Commission. This commission is investigating irregularities and structural failures at the Medigadda barrage, as well as damage at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages. Prabhakar claimed that the decision to change the project site to Medigadda was purely political and that this change was ratified by the cabinet. Addressing the media on Sunday, Prabhakar said that the BJP would await the final report from the P.C. Ghose Commission, emphasizing that there is no question of letting the leaders involved in KLIP irregularities off the hook. He reiterated the call for a CBI inquiry to get to the truth. Prabhakar accused BRS party chief and former Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao of ignoring warnings from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). Rather than correcting the mistakes in the projects, KCR has allowed the irrigation experts to proceed with KLIP, resulting in significant losses. He criticized KCR for telling the Ghose Commission that the cabinet had granted permission based on the recommendations of irrigation experts. As the head of government, KCR should have taken moral responsibility for his mistakes instead of placing the blame on his cabinet and the irrigation experts, Prabhakar alleged. Prabhakar noted that the Kaleshwaram project's location shifted from Tummadihatti to Medigadda. He mentioned that the project work at Tummadihatti was initiated by the Congress government before the BRS came to power. However, the BRS changed the location and increased the project estimation costs by two to three times without calling for tenders for the Medigadda barrage works. He questioned KCR about who was responsible for the shrinkage of columns in the barrage, the non-functioning of the pump motors, and the breaches in the canals. Prabhakar accused the state Congress government of Revanth Reddy, of failing to uphold the constitution by not conducting local body elections even after 18 months in power. He demanded that the Congress government announce a schedule for local body elections immediately.
