₹2,100 cr push to bring Kaleshwaram barrages back to life
Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has already announced that repair works will begin in mid-Nov and are targeted for completion by mid-June 2027. Preliminary estimates place the rehabilitation cost at around ₹2,100 crore, with the bulk of the expenditure going towards construction of new diaphragm walls at the three barrages, according to irrigation department officials. The move comes as the state gears up to restore the three barrages to operation.
Sources said L&T, which built the Medigadda barrage, has dues of ₹460 crore, while Navayuga Engineering Company (Sundilla) and Afcons (Annaram) have pending payments of ₹170 crore each.
Officials said the state government is preparing to undertake the rehabilitation work after the agencies that constructed the barrages reportedly declined to bear the cost, arguing that their defect liability period had ended. To mobilise funds and oversee implementation, the govt is examining the creation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) or a dedicated agency exclusively for the barrage rehabilitation programme.
Officials said nearly ₹1,800 crore would be required for diaphragm wall construction alone, while another ₹300 crore is expected to be spent on associated works, including strengthening and extension of stilling basins. “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 said. The technical oversight committee, constituted by the Union ministry of jal shakti and headed by the technical member of the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), is expected to examine rehabilitation plans, designs and investigation reports before finalising the scope of works.