The shocking incident of collapse of a high retaining wall at Nagarjuna Sagar Dam’s Sunkishala project on 1 August 2024 exposed the lack of safety and quality standards in such high valued projects. The project was awarded to Megha Engineering & Infrastructure limited (MEIL) in 2016. The Krishna water entered the surge pool through these tunnels after the retaining wall collapsed. There was no casualty because the incident happened when workers’ changed shifts.
Political slugfest erupted in Telangana after the collapse of the retaining wall of the under construction intake well and pump house complex in Sunkishala project. The opposition leader K.T. Rama Rao of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) blamed Congress government for its negligence in overseeing the project works. He demanded blacklisting of the company to which the contract was awarded, indirectly linked to Megha Engineering company.
More than 10 days since #Sunkishala mishap. Why is there no action initiated on the agency Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited !?
Any answers why your Government is hushing up and going soft on the agency @RahulGandhi Ji ? pic.twitter.com/Mp5EXwJkoH
— KTR (@KTRBRS) August 12, 2024
“In today’s newspapers across Telangana, it is widely reported that in the Sunkishala mishap, where nearly Rs 80 crores of public money was wasted, and lost because of the criminal negligence of the agency, a departmental inquiry has been conducted. It was recommended to blacklist the agency which has executed the work,’ said Rao to ANI. “I demand answers from the government, I would like to ask them when are you going to blacklist this company called Megha Engineering.?’
As the principal opposition, we’ve been demanding a judicial inquiry into the Sunkishala incident and blacklisting of Megha Engineering
Instead of acting on MEIL whose negligence has resulted in the Sunkishala mishap, now apparently CM Revanth Reddy is going to reward them with… https://t.co/fN4SA1U5Un pic.twitter.com/Mru1j2PIzl
— KTR (@KTRBRS) August 20, 2024
Rao even questioned the government’s intention in continuing to award contracts despite alleged mismanagement, asking for transparency, said, ‘I also demand answers on why this company is being given preferential treatment by the Govt… We are demanding action and transparency from the Govt. We will hold them accountable, no matter what they would like to say,’ added Rao.
While the deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said, ‘Kaleshwaram and Sunkishala projects were constructed under BRS government rule. Kaleshwaram project got sunk even before water was released and Sunkishala project’s shoddy work got exposed after water was released.” He further added that it was during the BRS government that the retaining wall for the Sunkishala project was built.
The high retaining wall at #Sunkishala project collapsed, submerging the pump house, exposing the lack of Safety and Quality standards in such large projects initiated by the #BRS govt. While the wall of the #SunkishalaProject collapsed on August 2, it only came to light on… pic.twitter.com/dC49THBXQe
— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) August 9, 2024
Despite initiating the Sunkishala project in 1980, it did not progress. Roughly two years ago, the then BRS government launched the project with an estimated cost of Rs 1450 crore. The estimated cost escalated to Rs 2,215 crore due to the delay in work progress.
As per the original schedule, the project was supposed to be completed by the summer of 2023 to supply drinking water to the city of Hyderabad. The construction of a three-row pipeline, spanning over ten kilometres from Sunkishala to Kodandapur, is almost complete.