Telangana moves to book L&T over Medigadda barrage failure
HYDERABAD: The Telangana government has concluded that Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is responsible for the failure of the Medigadda barrage under the Kaleshwaram project and has decided to initiate criminal action if the company does not undertake restoration at its own cost.
The Law Department has cleared the move to register a criminal case, official sources said. The decision follows recommendations by the Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose Commission, which probed the condition of the Kaleshwaram barrages and advised the government to recover restoration costs from the construction agencies by initiating criminal proceedings.
Show-cause notices likely shortly
Officials said show-cause notices are likely to be issued to L&T within the next one or two days, seeking an explanation on why criminal action should not be initiated. The final decision on registering a case will be taken based on the company’s response.
The Vigilance and Enforcement wing had earlier also held the construction agency responsible for the failure. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy have directed officials to ensure that repair costs for the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages are borne entirely by the respective construction agencies.
Notices have already been issued to L&T for Medigadda, Afcons for Annaram, and Navayuga for Sundilla. However, with no satisfactory response from the firms, the government has decided to proceed with stringent action.
Recovery of testing expenditure
Alongside criminal proceedings, the government has decided to recover amounts already paid for emergency testing of the Medigadda barrage. Officials said steps would be taken to ensure that all such expenditure is recovered from the construction agency.
Defects surfaced within first year
The Medigadda barrage construction was completed in 2018 and inaugurated in May 2019. After floodwaters receded in November 2019, major damage was noticed to downstream protection systems once the gates were closed. Similar damage was reported again in February and May 2020.
Despite issuing five notices, the government found that the construction agency failed to rectify damaged components. Officials said the firm deliberately violated contractual conditions by not carrying out mandatory repairs.
Completion certificates cancelled
Under the contract, the defect liability period of two years placed responsibility for repairs on the construction agency. The government found that although defects were identified in 2019 and 2020, the agency neither carried out repairs nor rectified deficiencies, but still obtained completion certificates.
Terming the certificates illegal, the government has cancelled them. Officials said the agency is bound to act as per Clauses 8, 16, 30, 32.2, 32.3, 34, 35.1 and 38 of the contract agreement. Show-cause notices are being prepared accordingly.
