- KR Bharat
- 2025-10-21
The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) overhaul has hit another speed-bump, as officials admit there has been a weak response to the call for expressions of interest (EOI) to revamp the barrages of Medigadda Barrage, Annaram Barrage and Sundilla Barrage. The Telangana government has accordingly extended the deadline for submission of bids from October 15 to October 22, citing the need to attract more specialised agencies.
These barrages are critical components of the system meant to supply irrigation over 36–40 lakh acres in Telangana, yet they haven’t been fully operational for four cropping seasons. The state’s move to issue the EOI followed a report from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA), which identified serious structural, design and safety issues in the barrage system.
Despite the urgency, only “two or three” firms were said to have shown serious interest as of October 21, according to departmental insiders. The sources suggest the low response is driven by the technical complexity of the task, the perceived political baggage of the project (given the allegations around its construction), and the risk-averse stance of potential bidders. As one engineer put it:
The bidding is out in the open, but people worry it’ll tilt toward old favourites of the Congress government and repeat the same old problems.
With the extended deadline, officials hope to pull in more specialist agencies capable of handling heavy flood flows, quake-proofing and remediation of deep geology issues that the barrages face. Once the shortlisted firms are selected, the plan is to finalise designs and kick-off repair work by early 2026—though farmers and other stakeholders remain wary.
