Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has announced that the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project will be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He announced the Government’s decision in the Assembly, last night on the floor of the Assembly after a marathon discussion over the report by the Commission of Inquiry, headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose on the table of the House.

The discussion went on till post-midnight. The Ghose Commission, constituted by the government to probe allegations of corruption, misuse of funds and lapses in the construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, relating to Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project, submitted its report on July 31.

The State Cabinet tabled the report in the Assembly after a decision by the state Cabinet. The Commission found negligence, suppression of facts and financial irregularities in the execution of the project.

It concluded that structural faults occurred in the construction of the three barrages and held the previous BRS government and the then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao responsible for poor planning and execution. It may also be noted that the National Dam Safety Authority report also attributed the damage to Medigadda barrage to deficiencies in design, quality control and maintenance.

Replying to a 10-hour long debate, the Chief Minister said as several Central and State agencies, including public sector undertakings and financial institutions such as Power Finance Corporation, were involved in the project, the government decided that only a CBI inquiry could ensure a comprehensive investigation.

During the debate Mr. Reddy accused the previous BRS regime of swindling public money through the project. He said the Kaleshwaram Corporation borrowed 85 thousand 449 crore for the project, including over 27 thousand crore from PFC at 11.5 per cent interest and over 30 thousand crore rupees at 12 per cent interest from other lenders.

He informed the house that the state still carries a debt burden of over 60 thousand crore rupees, while an additional over 47 thousand crore rupees is required to complete the remaining works.

The House witnessed fiery exchanges between the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi during the debate.