Why are you afraid of judicial probe if KLIP was marvelous engineering feat? Uttam Reddy to KCR

Hyderabad: Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt. N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), questioning why its leaders, including former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao and former Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, were afraid of a judicial probe into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) if they genuinely believed it was a “marvelous engineering achievement.”

Speaking at a media briefing at the Secretariat along with Panchayat Raj Minister D. Seethakka and Ramagundam MLA Raj Singh Thakur, Uttam Kumar Reddy said, “Ever since the Judicial Commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice P.C. Ghose served notices, the BRS leadership has been running a propaganda campaign instead of cooperating. If they have confidence in the project, why don’t they appear before the Commission and make their case? KTR should be renamed ‘Goebbels Rao’ for the way he is spreading misinformation and attacking institutions.”

He clarified that the judicial commission is an independent, legally constituted body, established to investigate alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project’s planning, execution, and financial management. “This is not a political tool. Even former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appeared before a commission. If KCR and Harish Rao are clean, they should not fear a notice. But the moment the notices arrived, they began issuing derogatory statements against the Congress government and the Commission,” he said.

Uttam condemned BRS leaders for “disparaging a judicial process” and warned that deliberate attempts to undermine the Commission’s credibility could have legal consequences. “You cannot insult an institution simply because you’ve been asked to respond to questions about the Kaleshwaram project. The law will take its course,” he asserted.

Referring to recent remarks by BRS leaders about sabotage at the Medigadda barrage, Uttam questioned their motives. “You were in government when the FIR was filed. Why didn’t you bring up this ‘bomb’ theory then? Why now? Are you trying to escape the judicial process by creating sensational diversions?” he asked. “If you have such evidence, submit it to the Commission instead of shouting from rooftops.”

The Minister accused the previous BRS regime of deliberately abandoning the original project site at Tummidihatti and shifting it to Medigadda for corrupt gains. “They spread the lie that there was no water at Tummidihatti and used that excuse to redesign the project. This resulted in massive cost escalation - from ₹38,000 crore to ₹1.2 lakh crore—with no increase in ayacut,” he pointed out.

Uttam reminded that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had labeled the project a ‘white elephant’ and that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) had raised serious objections to its Detailed Project Report (DPR), redesign, and construction quality. “The NDSA clearly stated that the project has design, structural, operational, and maintenance flaws along with procedural violations. These are not political allegations but official findings,” he said.

He further revealed that experts had found multiple foundational issues in the KLIP. “Not a single test yielded a positive result. From design to construction, everything was compromised. The location where the barrage was built doesn’t even match the DPR’s approved site. This is textbook misappropriation,” he noted.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said the money spent on KLIP could have been used to complete other key irrigation projects.

“With ₹38,000 crore, the Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella Project could have been completed, irrigating 17 lakh acres. Instead, ₹1 lakh crore was spent on Kaleshwaram with no significant new ayacut. If the Tummidihatti project had continued as envisaged by the Congress government, it would have been completed by now. The ₹62,000 crore saved could have been used to complete the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy Project, benefiting 12 lakh acres. It could have been used to finish the long-pending Kalwakurthy, Bhima, Nettampadu, Koilsagar, SLBC, Dindi, Devadula, Sitarama, and Gouravelli projects,” he added.

He emphasised that the Congress government has not yet initiated punitive action. “We have only initiated an inquiry. But if BRS leaders refuse to cooperate or continue to insult the process, we will be left with no option but to act,” he warned.

Uttam Kumar Reddy also countered the claim that the Congress was attacking BRS out of political vendetta. “We are not indulging in propaganda. We are responding with facts. It is the BRS that is rattled by the Commission’s notice,” he said. “Let them come and prove their innocence before the Commission. If they don’t, they must be ready to face the consequences.”

“BRS MPs themselves supported the law that governs the NDSA. Now they’re attacking the NDSA report. BRS built the project not to help farmers but to fill their own pockets. Even today, KCR and Harish Rao have no answers for why the project was moved from Tummidihatti. They did it only to favour contractors and earn commissions,” he alleged.

He ended with a challenge: “You filed the FIR. You approved the design. You shifted the site. You escalated the cost. You received the Commission’s notice. Now have the courage to appear before it.”

Uttam Kumar Reddy concluded by stating that the Congress government is exploring ways to revive and repurpose the Kaleshwaram project, though the task is daunting. “We are making non-political, fact-based efforts to salvage what we can. But the foundations are defective. Every test report exposes the fraud. This is why BRS leaders are panicking—not because of politics, but because the truth is catching up.”