Hyderabad, June 9 (IANS) Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao on Monday appeared before PC Ghose Commission, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, and said he answered all queries of the Commission.

The Commission interrogated him for about 40 minutes at BRK Bhavan. He later told media persons that he explained the reasons for re-designing the project. The former Minister showed the layout of the project to explain all the aspects.

Harish Rao told the Commission that the project redesign was done due to objections from Maharashtra and the Central Water Commission (CWC). He explained that due to water availability issues at Thummidihatti, the project location was changed to Medigadda after a detailed survey.

When PC Ghose asked about Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla, the BRS leader told him that the Cabinet approved the construction of all barrages. Changes were made in the designs of Annaram and Sundilla barrages on the advice of the engineers.

Harish Rao also told the Commission that Kaleshwaram Corporation was formed to secure loans for the project. The Corporation was formed with the approval of the Cabinet and the government guarantees. He said loans were taken from the Central government institutions and banks.

The former Minister said he answered all the questions and provided the evidence. He said the Commission asked most of the questions about the change in the location from Thummidihatti to Medigadda. He told the Commission that the government had made all efforts to construct the project at Tummidihatti and gave a detailed account of the talks held with the Maharashtra government.

Harish Rao later went to the residence of BRS president and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), who will be appearing before the Commission on June 11.

Earlier, Harish Rao reached BRK Bhavan in a convoy from BRS headquarters, Telangana Bhavan, where party leaders and supporters gathered in large numbers to express solidarity with him.

BRS working president K. T. Rama Rao met Harish Rao to show his support ahead of his deposition.

Harish Rao was Irrigation Minister between 2014 and 2018 when the lift irrigation project was built across the Godavari River by the then BRS government.

Harish Rao is the second leader to appear before the Commission. Earlier, BJP MP and former Minister Eatala Rajender appeared before the Commission on June 6.

Rajender, who was the Finance Minister between 2014 and 2018, distanced himself from the execution of the Kaleshwaram project, stating that all construction and financial decisions fell under the purview of the Irrigation Department.

Rajender had served as Health Minister in the second term of BRS (2018-2023) but resigned from the party and joined the BJP in 2021 after KCR dropped him from the Cabinet over allegations of land grabbing.

The Ghose Commission has also summoned KCR. The BRS chief was directed to appear on June 5, but he requested to postpone his appearance to June 11.

The Commission, headed by retired Supreme Court judge Pinaki Chandra Ghose, is probing the alleged irregularities in planning, design, construction, quality control, operation, and maintenance of Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla Barrages of the Kaleshwaram project.

The one-man Commission was constituted in March 2024, a few months after some piers of the Medigadda Barrage caved in.

The term of the Commission has been extended repeatedly for seven times so far after its initial term ended on June 30, 2024.

Notices to KCR, Harish Rao, and Rajender were issued a day after the state government extended the Commission’s term for two more months, till July 31, to enable it to complete the examination of all those involved.

The Commission has so far examined over 100 engineers, retired and serving officials associated with the barrages and others.

–IANS

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