Hyderabad, June 10 (RAHNUMA): Minister for Irrigation and Civil Supplies N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said the Telangana government was moving ahead with a clear technical roadmap for the rehabilitation of the damaged Kaleshwaram barrages and had set a target to complete the works by the summer of 2027.
Speaking after reviewing the progress of investigations, testing and rehabilitation planning at the project site, the Minister said the ongoing investigations, hydrological studies, GPR tests, geotechnical borehole studies and other technical assessments were being taken up on a fast-track basis.
He said most of the preliminary investigations had already been completed and the remaining studies were expected to be completed by the end of June or the first week of July. Based on these findings, detailed rehabilitation designs would be prepared and submitted to the Central Water Commission and the National Dam Safety Authority for approval.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the actual rehabilitation works were likely to begin after the monsoon season, possibly by the end of November or in the first week of December. The government would make every effort to complete the works in one working season and restore the barrages by the summer of 2027, he said.
The Minister said the Congress government was not interested in politicising the issue, though serious mistakes had marred the project in the past. “Our focus is on accountability, safety and completion. We want to ensure that the barrages are restored properly and safely,” he said.
Giving the background, Uttam Kumar Reddy said the earlier Congress government had launched the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Project with an estimated cost of Rs 38,000 crore. He said nearly one third of works were completed before 2014.
He said that if the original project had been continued, it could have been completed around 2016-17 and would have provided irrigation to about 16 lakh acres. Instead, he alleged, the previous BRS Government shifted the project and increased the cost heavily, ultimately causing huge financial burden and technical problems.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said the project cost, which was originally Rs 38,000 crore, had gone up to over Rs 1 lakh crore and, as per CAG estimates, could touch nearly Rs 1.45 lakh crore. Despite this massive expenditure, he said, the three barrages had not been used after December 7, 2023.
The earlier designs had not fully captured the actual operational requirements of the barrages. For example, gate operations at lower openings had not been adequately considered in the original design. The present studies would address these gaps and ensure long-term safety, he said.
The GPR tests were almost 80 to 90 per cent complete across the three barrages. Borehole and geotechnical investigations were also nearly 75 to 80 per cent complete and were expected to be completed by June-end. Some boreholes had been taken to depths of 40 to 80 metres to get deeper geological data, he said.
Uttam Kumar Reddy made it clear that all future designs, repairs and additional works would be taken up only with the concurrence of the CWC and NDSA. This was necessary to ensure that the rehabilitated barrages remain safe and functional for the next several decades.
He said the government’s objective was clear and it wants to complee investigations by July, finalise designs after the monsoon, begin rehabilitation by November-end or December, and complete the works by the summer of 2027.
