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The Pinaki Chandra Ghose judicial commission, which was constituted to probe the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, has held former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR) "directly and vicariously accountable" for irregularities in planning, execution, completion, and operation and maintenance (O&M), according to sources.
The 1600-page PC Ghose Judicial Commission report is expected to be reviewed by the Telangana Cabinet which will decide the next course of action. According to sources, the commission reportedly mentions the names of former Chief Minister KC Rao and former ministers Etela Rajender and Harish Rao of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi. The sources said that the decision to construct the barrages at Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla (of the Kaleshwaram Project) was the sole and individual decision of the Minister (Irrigation) and the Chief Minister and there was no formal decision of the Government in this regard, adding that KCR's "involvement and directions minutely... is the cause and result of irregularities and the cause of distress to these three barrages." The commission of inquiry, led by Justice PC Ghose, flagged that proper procedure was not followed for initial administrative approvals for the construction of three barrages. The commission was appointed to investigate allegations of "negligence, irregularities and lacunae in Planning, Designing and Construction" of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla Barrages of the Kaleshwaram Project. The commission has alleged that the entire project was characterised by "rampant and brazen procedural and financial irregularities." The report underscores that the Kaleshwaram project, intended as a "lifeline of the State of Telangana," had instead became a colossal waste of public money due to a profound failure of governance, planning, technical oversight, and financial discipline. This the report purportedly said, was driven by the undue influence and individual decisions of political leadership. The one-man Commission was constituted on March 14, 2024 (ANI)
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