A demand for a vigilance inquiry into the Korata-Chanaka barrage has put the spotlight on alleged construction failures in an irrigation project intended to provide water to 50,000 acres in Telangana’s Adilabad district. BJP MLA Payal Shankar made the demand after inspecting sections of the barrage canals that he said had suffered damage at several locations.
Shankar alleged that the canal linings were falling apart even though the canals had not been used because the barrage remained incomplete. He attributed the damage to poor-quality construction and inadequate supervision, and said the condition of the works had caused losses to the government exchequer.
The MLA called for an inquiry covering the barrage’s construction works, tenders, estimates and release of funds. He also said political leaders who had played a role in the project’s construction should be brought within the scope of the investigation. The allegations were made during a media interaction following his inspection of the damaged canal sections.
According to Shankar, around Rs 1,500 crore had been spent on the project, which was intended to support irrigation across 50,000 acres. The report did not include an official response from the Telangana government, the department responsible for the project, contractors or other agencies associated with the barrage works. The extent of the damage, the cost of repairs and the status of any technical assessment were also not specified.
The allegations raise questions about how large irrigation infrastructure projects are monitored between construction, completion and commissioning. Canal lining failures before operational use, if established through an official inspection, would require scrutiny of material quality, construction supervision, certification of completed works and the release of payments. These issues can only be determined through technical records and a formal inquiry.
The project’s incomplete status also means that the reported damage has a direct bearing on when the intended irrigation benefits can be delivered. Until the barrage and its canal network are completed and certified for use, farmers in the intended command area cannot rely on the planned infrastructure for assured irrigation. The source report did not state a completion deadline or provide an updated implementation schedule.
Shankar also criticised the Bharat Rashtra Samithi over its proposed Rythu Garjana programme and alleged that its leaders had done little for farmers while in power. He separately questioned BRS leaders 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 funds from the Adilabad market committee had been diverted to other Assembly constituencies. These political allegations were part of the same media interaction but were not supported by documents in the report.
The immediate institutional next step sought by the MLA is a vigilance inquiry into the barrage works, procurement process, project estimates and fund releases. No order initiating such an inquiry was reported, and the project authorities’ response to the allegations remains awaited.
