"Politically motivated": BRS slams PC Ghosh Commission for delaying submission of Kaleshwaram project report

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 12 (ANI) Amid chaos over former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's appearance at PC Ghosh Commission in connection with the alleged irregularities in Kaleshwaram project, Bharat Rashtra Samith (BRS) leader KP Vivekanand Goud labelled the Commission as being "politically motivated" and expressed reservations over the delay in submission of the report on the project.
He informed that the PC Ghosh Commission was expected to submit the report on the Kaleshwaram project within 100 days, but it has been extending the deadline.
"Today, in connection with the PC Ghosh Commission inquiry, our leader, KCR, was called. The PC Ghosh Commission was supposed to submit the report on the Kaleshwaram project within 100 days. But it has only been extending the deadline, which clearly shows that this is a politically motivated commission. Out of 239 pillars, only two pairs required repairs. Just to defame KCR, they are dragging out the Commission," Goud told ANI here.
This came as KCR appeared before PC Ghosh Commission in connection with alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project. Heavy police deployment was witnessed at Hyderabad's BRK Bhavan on Wednesday ahead of KCR's appearance.
Previously, BRS MLA and former Irrigation minister Harish Rao and BJP MP Etela Rajender, who previously served as Finance Minister in the BRS government, appeared before the commission.
Justice PC Ghose Commission on Tuesday issued summons to former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), former Minister Harish Rao, and BJP MP Etela Rajender, who also served as a minister during the BRS regime, in the ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP).
The Commission, which has been probing financial and procedural lapses in the multi-crore irrigation project, directed the three political leaders to appear for questioning in the first week of June.
On June 8, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament Konda Vishweshwar Reddy described the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana as the "world's biggest engineering blunder" and termed it a "huge scam" that has severely impacted the state's economy.
Speaking to ANI, Reddy said, "Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project in Telangana is the world's biggest engineering blunder and it's a huge scam which ruined Telangana economically. It is one of the prime reasons that the richest state of Telangana is in such a horrible economic condition. We have a loan of Rs 8 lakh crore."
"The present Congress government does not have money to pay salaries and run the government," he added, blaming the ruling party for the deepening financial crisis.
Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy also held that the previous BRS government was responsible for the project's failure, labelling it the "biggest man-made disaster" since Independence and the "most expensive engineering failure" caused by any state government in India.
He said that Telangana is currently paying Rs 16,000 crore annually in interest and instalments on high-cost loans borrowed during the BRS regime for this "faulty" project, thereby placing an enormous burden on the state's finances and its farmers. (ANI)