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

The Commission examined him for about 50 minutes at BRK Bhavan near the State Secretariat while thousands of party cadres gathered outside to show solidarity with him.

Though nine BRS leaders were allowed to accompany KCR during the hearing, the BRS chief, who was suffering from a cold, requested that he be examined alone.

P. C. Ghose and Commission secretary Muralidhar questioned the former chief minister in the courtroom.

The BRS chief was believed to have been asked questions about redesigning and re-engineering of the projects, their technical aspects, approval and mobilisation of funds.

KCR is understood to have given a report on the project to the Commission, highlighting key features of the project and explaining the need to redesign and re-engineer it.

The former chief minister reached BRK Bhavan around 11 a.m. and walked into the premises. He was accompanied by some senior leaders of the party, including former Minister T. Harish Rao and former MP Santosh Kumar.

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, gathered at nearby MLA Quarters in Adarshnagar to show solidarity with him.

Thousands of party cadres gathered on the roads surrounding the BRK Bhavan to express their support for KCR. Police had a tough time controlling the BRS cadres, who were raising slogans.

Talking to media persons near BRK Bhavan, Rama Rao accused the Congress government of political vendetta. He remarked that “even if Congress leaders take birth 100 times, they will not achieve an iota of what KCR did for Telangana”.

KCR was the chief minister from 2014 to 2023. 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). He 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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