Telangana is preparing a ₹2,100 crore rehabilitation programme to restore the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, with repair work scheduled to begin in mid-November and targeted for completion by mid-June 2027.
The proposed works are among the largest dam rehabilitation exercises undertaken in the state after structural problems emerged at the barrages more than two years ago. The state government is also considering a special purpose vehicle or dedicated agency to mobilise funds and oversee implementation.
According to irrigation department officials, nearly ₹1,800 crore of the estimated cost will be spent on constructing new diaphragm walls at the three barrages. A further ₹300 crore is expected to cover associated works, including strengthening and extending stilling basins.
The stilling basin at Medigadda is proposed to be extended by up to 60 metres. At Annaram and Sundilla, the extensions may range between 45 metres and 50 metres. These concrete structures are located at the base of dam spillways and help dissipate the force of fast-flowing water, reducing erosion of the riverbed downstream.
The final scope, design and cost of the rehabilitation programme are expected to be discussed at a technical oversight committee meeting in Delhi on October 12. The committee was constituted by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti and is headed by the technical member of the National Dam Safety Authority. It is expected to examine the proposed rehabilitation plans, designs and investigation reports before the works are finalised.
“The estimations and rehabilitation works will be finalised at the technical oversight committee meeting that will be held in Delhi on Oct 12. The cost of the repairs will depend on the designs, and there may be slight variation in the estimations also,” a senior irrigation official told The Times of India.
The state government is expected to bear a major portion of the rehabilitation cost. Officials said the agencies that constructed the barrages had reportedly declined to fund the repairs, arguing that their defect liability period had ended. The government has cancelled the completion certificates issued for the projects and has yet to clear around ₹800 crore in pending contractor bills.
L&T, which constructed the Medigadda barrage, is owed ₹460 crore, according to sources cited by The Times of India. Navayuga Engineering Company, associated with Sundilla, and Afcons, which built Annaram, each have pending payments of ₹170 crore.
The government has in principle decided to fund new works, including diaphragm walls and other measures that were not part of the original construction scope, officials said. Contractors may be asked to bear the cost of repairing existing works where poor quality is determined to have caused the damage. Discussions on the rehabilitation costs are linked to the settlement of the pending bills.
The proposed special agency would follow the institutional model used by the previous BRS government, which established the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Corporation Limited to execute the project. That corporation raised nearly ₹80,000 crore in loans for Kaleshwaram and another ₹10,000 crore for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme.
The rehabilitation programme is proceeding separately from the Justice PC Ghose Commission’s inquiry into alleged irregularities in the planning, design and execution of the Kaleshwaram project. The commission reportedly identified serious deficiencies involving the three barrages and fixed responsibility on key decision-makers. In April, however, the Telangana High Court restrained the state government from acting on the findings for punitive purposes, citing procedural lapses, while upholding the legality of the commission’s constitution.
The October 12 technical oversight committee meeting is expected to determine the final design, work scope and cost before the state moves towards implementation.
