HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Monday decided to hand over to the CBI the case relating to alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project during the BRS rule.
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy made the announcement in the state Assembly in the early hours of Monday after a marathon debate, which began at 4 p.m. on Sunday.
The Chief Minister said since the case involves inter-state matters and some Central institutions, it was only appropriate to hand over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
He made the announcement at around 1.40 a.m. after a nearly 10-hour debate on the report of the P.C. Ghose Commission, which probed the alleged irregularities in the construction of the Kaleshwaram project during Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule.
CM Revanth Reddy alleged that then Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) and then Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao looted public funds to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore while then Finance Minister Eatala Rajender sat silently.
He said the Commission also indicted many officials, including IAS officers and engineers.
Stating that KCR wrote ‘death warrant’ for Telangana with Kaleshwaram, the Chief Minister said the BRS government borrowed Rs 87, 000 crore at the interest rate of 11.50 per cent.
Revanth Reddy revealed that his government has so far repaid about Rs 49, 835 crore, including the interest. He also claimed that another Rs 47, 000 crore is required to complete the project.
The report, tabled in the Assembly on Sunday morning, held KCR directly and vicariously accountable for the irregularities and the illegalities in planning, construction, completion, operation and maintenance of three barrages.
The debate was marred by angry exchanges between members of the ruling Congress and the main opposition BRS.
BRS members tore the copies of the report to register their protest over the denial of sufficient time during the discussion. The main opposition party later staged a walkout from the House.
After coming out of the House, K.T. Rama Rao, Harish Rao and other BRS members dumped the copies of the report in the dustbin.
Responding to clarifications sought by AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, the Chief Minister said the government provided all the information to the Commission.
Earlier, the Chief Minister alleged that KCR redesigned the Kaleshwaram project and escalated the project cost to become richer than the last Nizam of Hyderabad, who was the world’s richest man of his time.