HYDERABAD: Asserting that his government had no objection to handing over the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages to the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday challenged BJP MP Eatala Rajender to lead a delegation to New Delhi to apprise the authority of their condition and seek approval for the release of water. He also asked Rajender to meet the Union Jal Shakti Minister on the issue.
“We are ready to hand over the barrages to the NDSA for rehabilitation if the agency comes forward. Eatala should take the responsibility of convincing the central agency to address the issue,” he said.
Revanth also urged Rajender to persuade the Centre to order a CBI probe into the alleged multi-crore Kaleshwaram project scam and raise the issue in Parliament. He said his government was prepared to undertake rehabilitation of the damaged Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages in accordance with the recommendations of the NDSA.
Speaking to reporters at the MCRHRD Institute, Revanth said the NDSA report had concluded that the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages were unsuitable for storing water.
“The NDSA stated that damage to Block No. 7 of the Medigadda barrage has rendered it unfit for water diversion. It noted that the Annaram barrage was severely damaged and that diverting water through it was unsafe. It also stated that diverting water through the Sundilla barrage was unsafe because of the extensive damage. The NDSA recommended that all restoration designs, repairs and related works should be undertaken only with the approval of the NDSA or the Central Water Commission (CWC),” he stated.
Explaining why water could not be lifted through the Kannepalli pump house, the chief minister said a minimum water level of 93.50 metres was required, while the present level stood at only 89.90 metres.
“To lift water through the Kannepalli (Lakshmi) pump house, located about 18 km away, a water level of 93.50 metres is required. Although there is water flow at Medigadda, the level does not reach the required mark. The situation is similar at Annaram and Sundilla. If water is lifted from Kannepalli, it flows back to Medigadda because the gates there remain open. As per the NDSA recommendations, the gates cannot be closed as it would compromise the safety of the barrages,” he said.
NDSA advised against closing KLIS barrage gates: Revanth
The chief minister also said that water could not be stored at the Annaram and Sundilla barrages unless the gates were closed, but the NDSA had specifically advised against closing them because of safety concerns.
Questioning the Union government’s delay in ordering a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project, Revanth said the state government had sought a CBI probe into the construction of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages in September 2025 and was still awaiting a response.
He said: “Within 11 months of the inauguration of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages, the then executive engineer, BV Ramana Reddy, wrote to L&T on May 18, 2020, pointing out several deficiencies in the barrages and asking the company to rectify them. He warned that the lapses posed a danger to the structures. It means that even during the BRS regime, officials had identified the defects. Due to negligence, the barrages nearly collapsed. Regarding the Kannepalli pump house, floods in the Godavari in 2022 damaged the safety walls and submerged the motors. The damage was never fully repaired and the Kannepalli pump house has still not become fully operational.”
The chief minister also revealed that the Jal Shakti Ministry had constituted a Technical Oversight Committee for the rehabilitation of the Kaleshwaram barrages. He said the ministry had informed the state government of the decision through a letter dated June 30.
He said the committee would be chaired by the Member (Technical), NDSA, and comprise the Director (Designs), CWC, the Director (Gates), CWC, representatives of the Central Soil and Materials Research Station (CSMRS) and the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS), besides three representatives of the State government.
“The committee’s terms of reference are to provide technical advice on the design and rehabilitation proposals for the three barrages submitted by the project authority and to visit the project whenever required,” he said.
Launching a political attack on the BRS, the chief minister accused the party of running a misinformation campaign over the demand to release water from the Kannepalli pump house.
He alleged that the “Khiladi Group”, headed by BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, included T Harish Rao, KT Rama Rao and Rajender. Advising Rajender not to “fall into the trap” of the group, Revanth alleged that the BJP MP was speaking at the behest of the BRS leadership and had lost his credibility.
The chief minister also criticised retired engineers for supporting the BRS demand to release water and said the truth behind the project’s debts, commissions and alleged irregularities would emerge only after those responsible were sent to Cherlapally jail.
Continuing his attack, Revanth alleged that Harish Rao was “greedy for commissions” and accused him of extending his interests even to crusher contractors.
He further alleged: “It was Harish Rao’s dairy farm that supplied milk to the Andhra-based Narayana and Chaitanya institutions. Was Harish Rao grazing donkeys when 105 tmcft of water was diverted to Pattiseema during the BRS regime? Can the BRS leaders guarantee that water will not be denied to Polavaram if the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages become operational?”