Section 144 imposed near Medigadda Barrage

Hyderabad: Section 144 has been imposed near the Medigadda Barrage in Jayashankar Bhupalapalli district, Telangana, following the sinking of a few pillars of the barrage on Saturday.

Members of the Central Water Commission are expected to visit the barrage on October 24 to assess the damage.

The gate of the barrage was broken when the 20th pillar sank. Water is continuing to flow to the Lakshmi Barrage, and authorities have lifted 57 gates to release 45,260 cusecs of water. The inflow to the barrage is 12,240 cusecs.

Officials from the Irrigation Department said that they are investigating the cause of the accident. They clarified that the responsibility for restoration lies with L&T, the company that is currently in possession of the barrage.

Kaleswaram project ENC Nalla Venkateshwarlu said that the Medigadda barrage has collapsed up to the 20th pillar feet under the 6th block. He said that the authorities were immediately alerted and investigated after a loud noise was heard near the barrage on Saturday evening. He said that he cannot say anything now because there is water in the barrage, but that a full investigation will be conducted and details will be released once the water recedes.

At the time of the accident, there was 10 TMC of water stored in the barrage. Venkateshwarlu said that the gates near the 20th pillar were closed and water was released downstream from the other gates to reduce the severity of the accident.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Kishan Reddy has criticized the Kaleswaram project, calling it an "utter flop." He has asked how many TMCs of water have been provided in the last five years, and has alleged that the project was built to steal people's wealth. He has also said that he will write a letter to the central government regarding the irregularities in the Kaleswaram project