Ghose panel nails role of KCR, Harish, Rajendar and officials

Hyderabad: Justice (retired) PC Ghose Commission, which went into the alleged irregularities and widespread graft in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), and whose report was tabled in the Assembly on Sunday, has held former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and former ministers T Harish Rao and E Rajendar responsible for the damage caused to the three barrages viz. Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla of the project. Besides, the nefarious role of a dozen top officials, including present state Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, former chief secretary SK Joshi, former irrigation secretary Smitha Sabharwal as well as that of top irrigation engineers were mentioned in the report.

Nearly 50 Deputy Executive Engineers and Assistant Engineers of the state irrigation wing were also blamed in the report for their alleged role in the poor-quality construction and lack of operation and maintenance of the three barrages.

The report said that Chief Engineer B Hari Ram, Central Design Organization (CDO) Chief Engineers A Narendar Reddy and T Srinivas, Executive Engineer S Omkar Singh, V Phanibhushan Sharma (Directors of works, Accounts), G Shankar Naik (Chief Engineer, Hydrology), B Nagendar Rao (Engineer in Chief, O and M ) and T Pramila (Chief Engineer to SDSO) were questioned during the investigation. The Commission found fault with these officials for not following the guidelines in the execution of the project works.

The Commission observed that the former the CM, former ministers and top officials are liable for action for violation of the Business Rules of the government. Appropriate action should be taken against them, it suggested. The Commission presented every case of violation of Business Rules with evidence based on the statements recorded during the open house enquiry by Justice PC Ghose. Each irrigation official in the rank of Deputy Engineers and Assistant Engineers were also nailed for discharging their duties without following rules in the execution of the works.

The Commission also reviewed the directions of the then chief minister KCR to the officials during the construction of the project and exposed the former CM’s unilateral decisions in the project design, funding through the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Company Limited, borrowings, release of bank guarantees, administrative approvals for construction of the three barrages and shifting of location of main barrage from Tummidihetti to Medigadda. It also found fault with increase in numbers of gates in the barrages and administrative approvals for preparation of DPR for construction of the barrages.

The PC Ghose Commission observed that the role of former CM, ex-ministers and top officials in the entire construction of the three barrages was established with evidence submitted by the officials during the probe.