Central team visits Medigadda barrage, inspects sunk pillars

A six-member committee constituted by the Union water resources minister Gajendra Shekawat visited the Medigadda (Lakshmi) barrage, the pillars of which had sunk by 0.6 metres last week.

The team was deputed upon a request by state BJP chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy.

The team, headed by National Dam Safety Authority member Anil Jain, and a Central Water Commission member, will interact with all stakeholders, including officers of the state water resources department and the agency involved in the construction of the barrage.

The team has been instructed to perform a thorough examination of the structure and submit a detailed



report.

Kishan Reddy requested the Centre to depute experts from the Dam Safety Authority for an investigation after all 85 gates of the barrage were opened and the structure was emptied of water.

Kishan Reddy said: "The piers seem to have failed because the soil is still settling and the soil is not treated properly. This indicates that it is a fit case of foundation inspection failure. Was the designing responsibility was given to the construction agency under the EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) method or the designs are done by the state irrigation department’s CDO (central design organisation). Responsibility needs to be fixed accordingly."