Telangana government officially hands over Kaleshwaram project investigation to CBI

Hyderabad: The Telangana Government has issued formal orders to transfer the investigation into the alleged irregularities, embezzlement of public funds, and corrupt practices in the construction of the Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Home (Special) Department issued a Government Order on September 1, 2025. This order gives the CBI consent under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The order cites the findings of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the Commission of Inquiry (COI) headed by former Supreme Court Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose as the primary reasons for this decision. The NDSA reports, submitted between November 2023 and April 2025, concluded that the failure of the Medigadda barrage, where six piers sank in October 2023, was due to critical deficiencies in ‘designing, quality control, and construction.’

The Justice Ghose Commission, which submitted its report on July 31, 2025, identified severe lapses, including ‘negligence, malicious intent, intentional suppression of facts, and financial irregularities.’ It starkly concluded that there was ‘wrong and, in fact, no planning in the construction of the three barrages.’

After more than nine hours of talks in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on August 31, 2025, it was decided that the inter-state issues, the role of various government departments, and Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) needed a central agency investigation. The government order states that the CBI will investigate all accused persons, including public servants and private entities.

This move effectively relaxes a previous government order from 30 August 2022, which had restricted the central agency's jurisdiction in the state.