HYDERABAD: Justice PC Ghose, heading the Commission of Inquiry on the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project, firmly told V Prakash Rao, former chairman of the Telangana Water Resources Development Corporation, to avoid political commentary and technical lectures while testifying about the damaged piers of the Medigadda barrage.
“I am not a politician and am not worried about politics. Do not give political lectures. Engineering is not your cup of tea, simply share your opinion on what can be done with the damaged piers of Medigadda barrage without delving into technical details,” Justice PC Ghose said during the hearing.
Prakash Rao, who appeared as witness number 101, deposed for the third time before the Commission. When questioned about the change in the intake point from Tummadihatti to Medigadda, Rao began explaining the political background leading to the formation of Telangana. Justice Ghose interrupted, stating: “I am not a politician. Do not give political lectures”.
Rao responded that he was supporting the Commission by giving details, to which Ghose replied: said that he did not require anybody’s support and the documents themselves would speak the facts. “I do not require anyone’s support. The documents themselves will speak the facts. People may speak untruths, but documents and GOs cannot lie.”
When asked for his views on repairing the damaged piers of Medigadda, Rao began discussing technical matters. Justice Ghose intervened again, saying, “Engineering is not your cup of tea. That is the job of engineers. Just share your broader view.” Rao then stated that the piers could be repaired and restored.
Prakash Rao, who served as chairman of the Water Resources Development Corporation from March 2017 to December 2023, used “our government” during the cross-examination. Justice Ghose objected, prompting Rao to clarify by referring to the “then BRS government.”
Rao informed the Commission that to address the needs of the newly formed 13 districts, the then BRS government decided to lift water from river Godavari at Medigadda, instead of Tummadihatti. He explained that the water available at Tummadihatti was 165 tmcft of which 63 tmcft was allocated to upper riparian states, leaving only 102 tmcft for Telangana.
If the height of the barrage at Tummadihatti was reduced as suggested by the Maharashtra government, Telangana would have been able to draw only 44 tmcft from the available 102 tmcft, Rao added. For this reason, the BRS government shifted the intake point to Medigadda, he explained.
He stated that several individuals who testified before the Commission misled it by claiming the expert committee opposed the Medigadda barrage’s construction. Rao clarified that even after the Medigadda barrage was built, the BRS government continued to consider the Tummadihatti barrage. The site was shifted two kilometers upstream on the Wardha River to utilize 20 tmcft of water for irrigating two lakh acres in the Adilabad district, emphasising that the Tummadihatti project was not completely abandoned.