NDSA Report On Kaleshwaram An Indictment Of BRS: Congress

Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the report of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) on the Kaleshwaram project, exposing serious flaws in its design, construction, and maintenance, was a direct indictment of the previous BRS government.

Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of Bharat Summit 2025 at HICC, Reddy launched a blistering attack on the BRS leadership, saying, "The BRS leaders should have some shame. The NDSA report clearly stated that the design was faulty, the construction was faulty, and the operation and maintenance were faulty. Soil testing was not done properly, and no proper geophysical investigations were conducted."

He said that according to the report, the sand piping phenomenon, the cavity formation underneath the raft, the construction defects, the design deficiencies, the structural distress and other downstream damages had rendered Block-7 of the Medigadda barrage unserviceable.

The minister added that the NDSA committee had noted similar issues in other blocks as well, based on geophysical investigations that revealed cavity formation under multiple sections of the barrage.

He alleged that key barrages - Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla - were barely functional, even though the BRS government projected the project as a monumental success. "Despite these structures being non-functional, Telangana achieved record paddy production during the Vanakalam season. That was due to the resilience of our farmers, not because of your failed structures," he said.

Reddy accused the previous BRS government of mortgaging Telangana's future by borrowing over Rs 1 lakh crore at high interest rates to build a project that eventually failed under their own watch.

"You claimed you were creating wonders with Kaleshwaram. But you designed it, you built it, and it then collapsed during your regime," he charged.

Reddy further said that the BRS leaders were misleading the public and attempting to survive on lies and mistakes.

"The BRS wants to deceive the farmers yet again. But that will not work anymore. They betrayed the very people they claimed to serve," he said.

Countering allegations that the NDSA report was politically motivated, Reddy clarified that the NDSA was a central government agency comprising the country's top dam safety experts. "The NDSA was constituted when the BRS was still in power. Neither Chief Minister Revanth Reddy nor I appointed it. It is a national body. You should be ashamed that your project was indicted by an institution formed during your own rule," he said.

Reddy announced that the Congress government would thoroughly study the NDSA findings and hold a detailed discussion in the next Cabinet meeting. "Those who constructed this project and those who enabled its flaws have committed a grave betrayal of Telangana's farmers. We will ensure they are held accountable. This betrayal will not go unpunished," he said, and also demanded a public apology from BRS leaders to the farmers of Telangana.