PIL in HC seeks CBI/SFIO probe into sinking of Medigadda barrage piers

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court’s Chief Justice bench on Monday while hearing the PIL filed by G Niranjan, senior TPCC vice-president, seeking a CBI/SFIO probe into the sinking of some Medigadda barrage piers, said “action has been set in motion.

The State government has addressed letters to the National Dam Safety Authority to look into the issue; the NDSA has appointed a committee”.

Prior to submissions of Advocate-General Sudershan Reddy on the issue before the court, Chief Justice Alok Aradhe questioned the petitioner’s counsel what he was doing since 2016—when the construction of the Kaleshwaram irrigation project commenced. The CJ opined that when the government is taking action, you should be satisfied... this is not a publicity interest litigation.”

Reddy informed the bench---comprising CJ Alok Aradhe and Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti---that the government has ordered a Vigilance and Enforcement inquiry into the sinking of Medigadda barrage piers the V&E department has conducted a preliminary enquiry and has submitted its report.

Based on the preliminary inquiry report, the government has terminated the services of N Venkateshwarlu, Engineer-in-Chief of the project and directed C Muralidhar Rao, Engineer-in-Chief (Irrigation and Command Area) to resign. The AG said action will be initiated against other officers, responsible for the sinking/breakage of the barrages, after the final report is received.

The government has written to the National Dam Safety Authority to inquire into the breakage of three barrage piers, based on which it has constituted a six-member committee, which visited the three barrages on October 24,25, 2023 and conducted preliminary investigation. The NDSA communicated reasons for sinking of the three piers and recommended measures to repair them.

The A-General told the court that the government is contemplating to get a judicial inquiry conducted into the issue by exercising power under Section 3(1) of the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1952, through a former judge of the HC/SC.

The bench was adjudicating the WP PIL (at scrutiny stage) filed by Niranjan. A writ petition (at scrutiny stage) with similar plea cited, filed by advocate B Rammohan Reddy, seeking a probe into irregularities committed by officials of the State government and the Centre on construction of the project was also heard by the bench. It adjourned hearing on the petition by two weeks, directing the petitioner to implead the Central Water Commission.