Hyderabad, Nov 4 (Representative) Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur on Saturday said that the world’s biggest ‘Engineering Blunder’ has happened in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project in Telangana. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has come to the conclusion that the world’s biggest engineering blunder has happened in the Kaleshwaram project, Anurag told reporters here. NDSA has seen the leakages at Medigadda barrage, which is part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project and how the dam site is affected, the Union Minister said. And the question arises is what kind of malpractice and corruptions have happened during the few years of this project, he said and alleged that the project cost has been escalated to 1.35 lakh crore and it clearly shows that money has exchanged hands. Corrupt practices have happened and the question arises on why Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his family are quiet about this and what kind of money has been taken out of this, he said.
To a question, Thakur said that of course, there should be an inquiry into this matter and at the same time, action should be taken against all those who are involved in the thousands and thousands of corruption in this mega project. Telangana BJP Chief and Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy who visited Kaleshwaram project, along with party MLA Eatala Rajender, said that the BRS government should take responsibility for leakages at Medigadda barrage. He said the BRS government had created a lot of buzz around this project but the project cannot be put to sue unless repairs are done at Medigadda barrage. BJP election in-charge for Telangana Prakash Javadekar at a press conference on Friday said “there should be a comprehensive probe. It is very unfortunate that NDSA found fault with the project and the government and the government says it does not have information”. Even Telangana Congress on Friday urged President Droupadi Murmu to order a CBI probe into the alleged graft and inferior quality of work in Kaleshwaram project due to which the lives of people in the catchment area of Godavari were in danger.