The Korata-Chanaka barrage project in Telangana’s Adilabad district has come under scrutiny after BJP MLA Payal Shankar demanded a vigilance inquiry into alleged damage to its canals and the quality of construction work. Shankar inspected damaged sections of the canal system on Saturday and called for an investigation into the project’s works, tenders, estimates and release of funds.
According to Shankar, canal linings had begun falling apart at several places even though the canals had not been used because the barrage remained incomplete. He alleged that poor-quality construction and inadequate supervision had caused losses to the government exchequer.
The MLA said the project had failed to serve its intended purpose despite expenditure of around ₹1,500 crore. He said the barrage was planned to provide irrigation to 50,000 acres. The report did not provide an independent engineering assessment of the damage, details of the project’s current completion status or a response from the department responsible for the works.
Shankar demanded that the proposed vigilance inquiry examine the construction contracts, tendering process, project estimates and the release of funds. He also said political leaders who had played a role in the project’s construction should be covered by the investigation.
The demand places attention on the gap between public spending on irrigation infrastructure and the operational delivery expected from such projects. In this case, the allegation relates not only to whether the barrage is complete, but also to the condition of associated canals before they have entered use. Any formal inquiry would need to establish the construction timeline, the agencies and contractors responsible for each section, the quality-control procedures followed, and the cause and extent of the reported damage.
Shankar also criticised leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi over a proposed Rythu Garjana programme, alleging that the party had done little for farmers while in power. He questioned K.T. Rama Rao and K. Kavitha over their alleged opposition to proposals for a tribal university, an industrial park and an airport in Adilabad. He further alleged that K.T. Rama Rao, T. Harish Rao and former chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had diverted funds from the Adilabad market committee to their respective Assembly constituencies. These political allegations were made during the same interaction and were not independently established in the report.
The next step sought by the MLA is a vigilance investigation into the barrage works and related financial and contracting decisions. The report did not state whether the government had accepted the demand or announced an inquiry.
