An expert team comprising six members, headed by National Dam Safety Authority chairman Anil Jain, was dispatched by the Centre to examine the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project’s Medigadda (Laxmi) barrage, where a few pillars sank recently. The team visited the barrage in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district and collaborated with KLIP engineer-in-chief N. Venkateshwarlu and officials from L&T, the construction company behind the project.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti is taking the matter seriously and has instructed the committee to investigate the reasons for the sinking of the barrage’s piers. The experts will assess the damage and examine the pillars that reportedly sank a few feet on the night of October 21.
The incident, which temporarily closed the barrage bridge connecting Telangana and Maharashtra, raised suspicions of sabotage, prompting project officials to file a complaint with local police. Opposition parties have criticized the project’s design and work quality, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and citing alleged corruption in the project.