Hyderabad: The Justice Ghose Commission, investigating the damage to the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages, will speed up its inquiry from Wednesday onwards. These barrages are part of the Kaleshwaram project, a major irrigation initiative.
In the final stage of the investigation, the commission will summon several key figures. This includes former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, former Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, and former Irrigation Secretaries Somesh Kumar, SK Joshi, Rajat Kumar, and Smitha Sabharwal. So far, the inquiry has involved questioning irrigation engineers and former Engineer-in-Chiefs in an open house setting.
There is also a possibility that the State government will extend the commission’s tenure, which is currently set to end on October 31. Sources indicate that the commission is awaiting final reports from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the State Vigilance Department regarding the Medigadda and the other two barrages.
The Director General of the Vigilance wing has been asked to submit this final report as soon as possible. These reports from the NDSA and Vigilance are considered critical for further questioning of irrigation officials and secretaries. During the first round of the open house inquiry, these officials provided affidavits and shared their perspectives. In the subsequent rounds of the investigation, they will be thoroughly questioned based on the findings of these reports. The open house inquiry is expected to conclude by October 29.
Additionally, officials mentioned that representatives from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and the NDSA might also be called in for clarifications if necessary. The contract agencies, along with former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao, will be summoned for questioning as well.
The reports from the NDSA and Vigilance will play a crucial role in questioning the former chief minister and ministers involved in the project.
