Hyderabad, Sep 2 (IANS) The Telangana government has relaxed the order withdrawing the general consent to the CBI for investigating cases in the state to allow the Central agency to probe alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project.

A Government Order (GO) has been issued for one-time relaxation in the earlier GO issued in 2022, barring the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from investigating cases in Telangana.

The Home Department issued the orders permitting the Central agency to conduct an investigation into the allegation of irregularities, embezzlement of public funds, and corrupt practices in the construction of Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project.

The Congress government has decided to hand over the Kaleshwaram case to the CBI. It was announced by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy early on Monday in the state Assembly after a marathon debate on the report of P. C. Ghose Commission, which probed the allegations of irregularities in the project constructed across the Godavari River under Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule.

The GO mentions the interim and final reports of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on the sinking of six piers of the Medigadda barrage on October 21, 2023. The NDSA reports found that the failure of the Medigadda barrage was due to a combination of issues, including planning, designing, quality control and construction deficiencies due to a lack of stringent quality control.

The GO also stated that the State government appointed the P. C. Ghose Commission in March 2024, and it submitted its report on July 31, 2025, identifying several lapses and irregularities that warrant serious criminal action.

The report was tabled in the Assembly on August 31, and during the short discussion, it was noted that the findings and observations of the NDSA and Ghose Commission warrant a thorough and detailed investigation. It was further observed that the project involves various inter-state issues and multiple state and Central government departments and agencies. Considering the complexities involved, including the participation of Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) in the project’s design and execution, it was deemed appropriate to entrust the investigation to the CBI, and a decision was taken accordingly, says the GO.

The general consent to the CBI to conduct investigations in Telangana was withdrawn on August 30, 2022, when the BRS was in power.

–IANS

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