Hyderabad, June 11 (IANS) Former Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) president K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday appeared before the PC Ghose Commission, which is probing the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project.

He reached the BRK Bhavan near the State Secretariat around 11 a.m. and walked into the premises. He was accompanied by a few senior leaders of the party.

Earlier, K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) started for Hyderabad from his residence at Erravalli in Siddipet district in a convoy.

Police made tight security arrangements at BRK Bhavan as BRS leaders, including KCR’s son and BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao and cadres, had gathered at nearby MLA Quarters in Adarshnagar and tried to march to show solidarity with KCR.

Hours before KCR’s appearance before the Commission, Rama Rao, in a post on X, accused the Congress government of political vendetta.

“His story is History. He did a miracle that wasn’t possible for 60years! He ran a democratic campaign with nothing but pure passion for Telangana He agitated for a separate state, a dream of millions of people He quenched the thirst of Telangana with Kaleshwaram One lifetime won’t be enough for small minds to comprehend the power of KCR! In a hundred lifes, the congress clowns cannot achieve an iota of what KCR did for Telangana!” posted KTR.

KCR, who was the chief minister from 2014 to 2023, is likely to be questioned by the Commission about the redesign of the project, the policy and finance-related decisions taken for its construction.

The Ghose Commission had summoned KCR on June 5, but he requested the Commission 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.

BRS leader and former Minister T. Harish Rao appeared before the Commission on Monday (June 9).

The Commission examined him for about 40 minutes. He later told media persons that he explained the reasons for re-designing the project.

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.

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

After his appearance before the Commission, Harish Rao met KCR a couple of times to brief him on his deposition.

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 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 last month, soon 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 115 individuals, including 100 engineers, retired and serving officials associated with the barrages and others.

–IANS

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