Order inquiry on irregularities in Kaleshwaram Project: Gudur

Hyderabad: Bharatiya Janata Party State executive committee member Gudur Narayana Reddy on Saturday urged the Centre to order an inquiry into the findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the construction of Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project.

Issuing a media statement, he said that the CAG which has studied the project for the past few months have found gross irregularities in the execution of the project and indicted the state government. The state government has also deviated from the detailed project report and there were gross violations of the norms.

He said that the CAG has flagged lacunas in the construction of the project and indirectly pointed out wastage of thousands of crores of rupees of public money. He said that as per the observations of the CAG, the KLIP would become a white elephant for the state in the coming years.

The BJP leader said that while the Centre has given consent for an expenditure of Rs 81,911 crores on the basis of the detailed project report being submitted by the state government, latest estimates on the expenditure has crossed Rs 1.49 lakh crores.

“The gap between the expenditure shown in the DPR and the actual expenditure incurred so far is about Rs 60,000 crores. The state government should come out with a proper explanation for the huge gap between the estimates in the DPR and the present estimates,” he said.

He said that according to media reports the cost of power to be used for the project would be around Rs 10,000 crores per annum. Expenditure to supply water to each acre is pegged at Rs 46,364.

He said that the figures being submitted in the DPR proved to be false as they do not match with figures of the other already completed projects. The state government has stated that it would provide irrigation to 17,000 acres under KLIP with one TMC of water, but it has stated in the case of other projects it would be possible to irrigate 10,000 acres with one TMC of water.

Narayana Reddy said that the government has also lied on the power cost as it stated that it would cost Rs 3 per unit under KLIP where as the actual expenditure was Rs 6.40 per unit.

“Even the State government lied on the cost benefit ratio of the project. It has stated that the cost benefit ratio would be 1.51 per one rupee, but it has turned out to be 0.52 per each rupee,” he said.

He said that the state government has stated water could be given to two crops under the project with 163 TMC of water. However, the CAG found that this water would provide irrigation facility only for the Kharif season.

“In view of all these irregularities being found in the construction of the project, there is an urgent need to order an inquiry into the issue. Since there is no competent investigation agency in the state to hold the inquiry, the Centre should step in,” he said.