KTR holds CM Revanth Reddy responsible for Sunkishala incident, demands judicial probe
BRS working president KT Rama Rao stated that the Sunkishala incident did not involve any engineering or design failure, as alleged by the Congress regarding the Medigadda barrage. He clarified that the collapse of the retaining wall between two expansion joints was due to the improper fitting of gates, which lacked the necessary oversight from the responsible Minister.
Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao held Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy responsible for the collapse of retaining wall of the under-construction intake well and pumphouse complex at Sunkishala project at Nagarjuna Sagar. Terming it as result of the Chief Minister’s incompetence as the Municipal Administration Minister, he demanded for a judicial probe into the incident and initiate action against those responsible.
He asserted that there was no engineering or design failure in the Sunkishala incident as was claimed by the Congress in case of the Medigadda barrage. “The retaining wall between two expansion joints had collapsed due to the fitting of gates in a haphazard manner, without the constant supervision of the Minister concerned. Hence, it is a complete failure of the Chief Minister who holds the Municipal Administration portfolio,” he said.
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Speaking to media persons at Telangana Bhavan on Friday, Rama Rao pointed out that the incident occurred on August 2 when the Assembly was underway, but the government did not make any statement in this regard which is an established practice. “Was the government attempting to hide it or was it completely unaware of it? In either case, the Chief Minister should be held responsible (as the Leader of the House) for not making the statement,” he said, adding that the previous BRS government did not hide the sinking of piers at Medigadda barrage though the Assembly elections were underway.
The former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister stated that the accident occurred due to fixing of gates in a haphazard manner, despite the officials advising against it and asking the government to postpone until the flood season concludes. “If there is anything good, the Congress takes credit, but blames the BRS for things which go bad. They cannot escape from their responsibilities by blaming the previous BRS government,” he said.
Rama Rao said the previous BRS government launched the project to meet the drinking water needs of Hyderabad for the next 50 years. The project was designed to lift water from Nagarjuna Sagar at the dead storage level (462 feet). He stated that all works except motor fitting and gate fixing were pending when the Congress came to power, but kept the works pending for nearly six months and woke up from deep slumber only after drawing flak over drinking water crisis in Hyderabad.
Further, the BRS working president pointed out that the Congress government’s allegations against the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) including Medigadda barrage, have been proved wrong as the barrage withstood a flood of 12 lakh cusecs. Further, the government is also able to pump water from Godavari River to various reservoirs. “If the Kaleshwaram project is a failure, how are they able to pump water into reservoirs?” he asked.
He also raised doubts over the Centre’s inaction with regard to the Sunkishala incident and questioned if both the Congress and BJP have colluded. “When there is an incident at Kaleshwaram project, the NDSA (National Dam Safety Authority) is sent and report is submitted immediately. But there is no such action with regard to the Sunkishala incident,” he added.
Rama Rao said a BRS delegation will visit Sunkishala project along with retired engineers to expose the government’s failure. He demanded to know if the government is not at fault, why the issue was kept a secret for nearly a week and the BRS was being blamed now after it surfaced on social media. “The foolish government and an arrogant Chief Minister are unwilling to accept former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s vision, and are making all efforts to undermine his achievements,” he said.
