The Telangana Vigilance Commission (TVC) has recommended criminal and departmental proceedings against Larsen and Toubro Precision Engineering and Systems (PES) and over 30 senior irrigation officials in connection with the collapse of piers in Block 7 of the Medigadda barrage, a key structure under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS).
The recommendations follow a detailed Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) report dated March 5, 2025, submitted by the Director General, V&E, which flagged serious lapses in design, supervision, quality control, and execution.
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme or KLIS is a multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari River in Kaleshwaram, Bhupalpally, Telangana, India. Currently the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, its farthest upstream influence is at the confluence of the Pranhita and Godavari rivers. Initiated under the Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) government by the former chief minister, K. Chandrashekar Rao, it was opened by Telangana governor Narasimhan and chief ministers K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana), Fadnavis (Maharashtra) and YS Jaganmohan Reddy (Andhra Pradesh) on June 21, 2019.
The commission’s report submitted by the Director General, Vigilance and Enforcement (DG, V&E), Hyderabad, highlights engineering lapses, violations in procedure and gross dereliction of duty as reasons for the structural failure. L&T Precision Engineering and Systems (PES) is the main contractor and is accused of deviating from the approved construction methods. This is particularly in execution of secant piles (a retaining wall constructed using overlapping piles), which led to a “piping action” beneath the raft foundation. According to the TVC report, this caused the collapse.
The TVC also found that the L&P PES falsely claimed completion despite not meeting essential terms outlined in the supplemental agreement. Along with this, the senior officials in the irrigation department allegedly approved flawed designs and did not ensure quality in execution. The report names 17 top officials, including the former and current engineers-in-chief, recommending criminal procedures against them. Thirtythree other officials are to face disciplinary action under Rule 20 of the Telangana Civil Services (Conduct, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1992. The government has been asked to invoke Rule 54 of the Telangana Revised Pension Rules, 1980, to enable action against retired officials.
Among those named are Bhupathi Raju Nagendra Rao, Todupunoori Srinivas, V Phanibhushan Sharma, Mohd. Ajmal Khan, Kotte Sudhakar Reddy, Sudagoni Sathyanarayana, B Venkata Ramana Reddy, Sardar Omkar Singh, Ch. Thirupathi Rao, Banothu Nanda, Ajmeera Suresh Kumar, P Shravan Kumar, KSS Chandra Sekhar, H Baswaraj, Thoutam Hemalatha, Ankilla Ravikanth, R. Vijay, G Gangadhar, G. Saicharan, M. Prasad, Merugu Raju, B. Ganesh, Md. Ismail Sajid, P. A. Venkata Krishna, K. Devender Reddy, M Raghu Ram, B. Kiran Kumar, A Krishna Mohan, G Krishna Reddy, E Sukumar, P Shravan Kumar, L Bheema Raju, Vali Shaik and Boge Srinivas who are holding key roles in project implementation.
The Commission also advised that penalty proceedings be initiated against seven retired senior officials under the Telangana Civil Services (Conduct and Appeal) Rules. These include: Cheeti Muralidhar, Engineer-in-Chief (General), I&CAD; N Venkateshwarlu, Engineer-in-Chief, Kaleshwaram Project; Gajjela Hari Hara Chary, Deputy Chief Engineer, B Venkateshwarlu, Chief Engineer, Quality Control & Inspection; Chatla Gangadhar, V Ajaya Kumar, and A Narender Reddy.
The report did not spare senior bureaucrats. It called for accountability from Principal Secretaries of I&CAD and Finance Departments, who were involved in approving design deviations and financial clearances during the project’s redesign and execution between April 2015 and October 2023.
The recommended legal provisions include the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988; Dam Safety Act, 2021; and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. Charges under various IPC sections have been proposed, such as 120B (criminal conspiracy), 336 (endangering life), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 418 (cheating), and 426 (mischief).
The collapse of the Medigadda barrage has not only raised questions about engineering standards and project oversight but has also triggered a major political controversy, given the scale of the Kaleshwaram project and the financial implications of the failure.