KARIMNAGAR: With a series of check dam collapses along the Manair river, concerns over construction quality and alleged sabotage have escalated into a political flashpoint in the erstwhile Karimnagar district.
Out of the 12 check dams constructed during the previous government’s tenure across the Manair, as many as seven have collapsed, triggering questions over whether the damage was caused by substandard construction or deliberate acts.
The most recent incident involved the Adavi Somanpalli check dam in Peddapalli district, which was washed away by floodwaters. Earlier, in November, a check dam at Tanugula had collapsed, prompting authorities to order a high-level inquiry into the incident.
According to officials, the previous government spent around `2,500 crore on constructing the 12 check dams. Over the years, structures at Bommakal, Neerukulla, Thoggarai, Madaka and Rupnarayanapeta have also been washed away, raising doubts about the durability of the projects.
As the inquiry continues, political tensions have sharpened between Congress and BRS leaders. Authorities have lodged complaints with the police, suspecting possible sabotage. While investigations are on, the collapse of water storage structures has left farmers facing severe irrigation problems.
BRS leaders who visited the damaged sites alleged that unknown persons had deliberately damaged the check dams to enable illegal sand transportation from upstream areas. Congress leaders, however, countered the claims, stating that the collapses were the result of poor-quality construction carried out during the BRS regime.
Peddapalli MLA Ch Vijayaramana Rao said responsibility lay entirely with the previous government. Former minister T Harish Rao, meanwhile, alleged that the sand mafia was behind the collapses.
IT Minister D Sridhar Babu visited Adavi Somanapalli on Tuesday, where a check dam was recently washed away. “We had stated earlier that these check dams were not benefiting farmers and were constructed unscientifically. A full-scale vigilance inquiry should be conducted immediately,” he said. The minister said the government would thoroughly investigate the reasons behind the collapse of check dams built during the BRS regime. “It is evident that some individuals undertook these constructions for commissions, and it is clear for whose benefit they were built,” he alleged.