Kaleshwaram is biggest man-made disaster since independence, says Telangana minister

Hyderabad, April 29 Telangana’s Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Tuesday held the previous BRS government squarely responsible for the collapse of the Kaleshwaram project, calling it the biggest man-made disaster since Independence and the most expensive engineering failure caused by any state government in India.

He said Telangana is currently paying Rs 16,000 crore annually towards interest and instalments on high-cost loans borrowed during the BRS regime for this faulty project.

He was talking to the media while making a presentation on the final report of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA).

The Minister said the findings confirmed the structural collapse of all three barrages—Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla—and exposed the inefficiency, negligence, and deliberate mismanagement of the previous regime under former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the Kaleshwaram project was not based on scientific principles but on a campaign of lies, propaganda, and false publicity. He reminded the public that the original plan was the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Project at Tummadihatti, for which even the then TRS government had sought national project status. However, KCR abandoned it and instead reengineered and redesigned everything to launch Kaleshwaram, falsely promising that both projects would be completed.

He alleged that instead of sustainable planning, the previous regime opted for hurried execution funded by high-interest loans, resulting in massive financial losses.

“All three barrages have structurally collapsed. I am giving this presentation to set the facts on record and show the people how their hard-earned money was misused,” he said.

He pointed out that the barrages were originally designed to regulate just 2 TMC of river water. However, over 10 TMC was stored in each, driven purely by a publicity agenda, causing foundational damage and eventual collapse. The NDSA report confirmed that safety protocols were ignored, borehole investigations were inadequate, and maintenance records were absent, in violation of legal mandates.

“Signs of seepage and damage were noticed as early as 2019, but the BRS government ignored them. This criminal negligence caused financial losses of thousands of crores to Telangana,” he said.

“The Kaleshwaram collapse is not a natural tragedy. It is a direct result of the BRS government’s irresponsible decisions. It has dealt a serious blow to Telangana’s finances and to the lives of farmers. Telangana is paying Rs 16,000 crore every year just in loan repayments for this failed project. This is public money lost due to a political stunt,” Uttam Kumar Reddy.

The Minister said it was outrageous and shameful that KCR, instead of accepting responsibility, is now attacking the credibility of the NDSA and questioning its authority.

“This is a huge injustice to Telangana. It has deeply hurt the sentiments of our people and destroyed the credibility of our state in the eyes of the country. When we recently approached the Ministry of Jal Shakti seeking clearance for the Sitaramasagar project, the officials refused to consider it because our irrigation system had collapsed,” he added.

--IANS

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