Ghose probe panel to summon KCR, Harish

Hyderabad: Justice P Chandra Ghose Commission on the Kaleshwaram project is likely to summon former chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao and former irrigation minister T Harish Rao as the commission is ready to start the last round of probe on November 21.

The Commission already hinted to grill some top officials, including former secretaries of irrigation wing, in the damage of Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages. The Commission was also suspecting the role of KCR and Harish in the alleged multi crore corruption in the lift project, and hence the two BRS leaders will also be summoned and their statements will be recorded before winding up the investigation. The commission has been asked to submit its report by December 31 this year.

The open house inquiry of the top irrigation officials, mainly the former secretaries of the State Irrigation Departments, would be resumed. “The Commission is ready to quiz former irrigation secretaries Rajat Kumar, Vikas Raj, Sk Joshi, Smith Sabarwal, and former chief secretary Somesh Kumar on Kaleshwaram estimations, the change of the DPRs, and the poor quality of the construction of the barrages that got damaged due to various reasons last year,” official sources said.

All the information collected from the irrigation officials was already under scrutiny, and the commission was verifying the facts from the affidavits submitted by the authorities. “The commission also cross-examined the irrigation officials when it received contradictory statements and statistical data from the authorities.”