Hyderabad: The Justice P Chandra Ghose Commission has paused its investigation into financial irregularities in the construction of Telangana’s Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. The probe also looked into issues related to the damage to the Medigadda, Sundilla, and Annaram barrages.
The Commission had to stop its work because its tenure ended on October 31. Due to the lack of an extension, the inquiry of top irrigation officials, including former secretaries from the State Irrigation Department, was also put on hold.
According to sources, the Commission was close to finishing its probe. They were preparing to question former irrigation secretaries such as Rajat Kumar, Vikas Raj, Sk Joshi, Smith Sabarwal, and former chief secretary Somesh Kumar. The focus of the questioning was on the cost estimates of the Kaleshwaram project, changes to the project details, and the poor construction quality of the barrages, which were damaged last year.
The Commission had hoped to resume its investigation in mid-November, expecting the State government to extend its tenure for two more months, until the end of December.
Sources said the Commission was aiming to complete its investigation by the end of November and submit a report with recommendations in December. They were already analyzing information collected from irrigation officials and were reviewing affidavits provided by the authorities. In cases where conflicting statements or data were found, the Commission cross-examined the officials.
Officials also mentioned that the Commission might decide to summon former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the former irrigation minister for questioning about the Kaleshwaram project and the damage to the barrages. However, this will only happen if the government extends the Commission’s tenure. A decision on the extension is expected by this weekend.
