BJP wants KCR to own up responsibility for Kaleshswaram project imbroglio

Telangana BJP vice-president and ex-MLA N.V.S.S. Prabhakar wanted former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to own moral responsibility for the irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) as head of the government then, instead of putting the blame on his Cabinet and engineers.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Prabhakar accused KCR of trying to wash off his hands by shifting responsibility on the engineers when he had appeared before the P.C. Ghosh Commission a few days ago.

Mr. Prabhakar charged KCR with ignoring the warnings of CAG, which had remarked that undue favour was given to contractors and instead of rectifying and correcting the mistakes in the project, he (KCR) went ahead with the works causing a huge loss to the exchequer.

Before the BRS had come to power, the then Congress Government had commenced project work at Tummadihatti but KCR has changed the location, increased project estimation by double and triple without calling tenders for Medigadda barrage works.

“Who is responsible for shrinkage of columns in the barrage, non-functioning of pump motors, breaches in canals and other irregularities which had surfaced? KCR is liable to answer all these,” he said.

The former MLA also claimed that the change of site to Medigadda is purely a political decision and was later ratified in the Cabinet. There should be no question of sparing anyone involved in the irregularities, and the party would wait for the final report of the Commission, he added.

Local body polls

Mr. Prabhakar and former MP B. Narasaiah Goud (in a separate press conference) demanded the Congress Government to immediately hold the local body elections by publishing the BC census data and implementing 42% quota to BCs.

The government has been sitting on the proposal for the last 18 months, the tenures of most of the elected bodies completed and people of State are waiting to teach a lesson for the hollow promises made to them, they said.

Dr. Goud mentioned that 12,769 sarpanches posts have been lying vacant since Jan.31, 2024, 5,717 MPTC since May 2024, 538 ZPTC, MPPs, ZP chairpersons and others for the last one year. Similarly, 128 out of 130 municipalities six months had completed their tenures. Due to the delay in local body polls, about ₹1,514 crore due from the Finance Commission and another ₹800 crore pending dues from the previous commission have been held up, he claimed.

Published - June 15, 2025 06:57 pm IST