Hyderabad (Telangana) [India]: Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has slammed the previous BRS government, calling the Kaleshwaram project collapse the “biggest man-made disaster since Independence” and the costliest engineering failure in India’s state-level infrastructure history.
Releasing the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) report on Tuesday, Reddy revealed that all three barrages—Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla—have suffered structural collapse due to engineering negligence, ignored safety warnings, and inflated political propaganda.
Key Highlights:
- Telangana is paying ₹16,000 crore annually on interest and loan repayments for the project executed during the BRS regime.
- The original Pranahita-Chevella project was abandoned in favor of Kaleshwaram, which was reengineered for publicity gains, Reddy alleged.
- Barrages meant for 2 TMC were overloaded with over 10 TMC, weakening their foundation.
- NDSA findings: Borehole and geological assessments were inadequate, maintenance records absent, and early signs of damage (since 2019) ignored.
- Reddy called the failure a “political stunt turned disaster” and announced a public awareness campaign to expose the alleged mismanagement.
- A judicial commission has been constituted, and action will be taken as per the law.
- The Congress government is exploring revival of the original Pranahita-Chevella project with expert review by Adityanath Das.
- Despite the collapse, Telangana recorded record Yasangi paddy production under the Congress government—proof, Reddy said, that good governance beats bad engineering.
Quotes:
“The Kaleshwaram collapse is not a natural tragedy. It is a direct result of the BRS government’s irresponsible decisions.” — N. Uttam Kumar Reddy
“This is public money lost due to a political stunt. Telangana’s credibility has been damaged at the national level.”