BRS Calls for Judicial Investigation into SLBC Tunnel Incident

Synopsis

On February 25, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) demanded a judicial inquiry into the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse. Party leader K.T. Rama Rao criticized the government for negligence and urged immediate action to rescue trapped workers.

Key Takeaways

BRS demands a judicial probe into SLBC tunnel collapse.
K.T. Rama Rao criticizes CM for negligence.
Accusations of incompetence against Congress government.
Rescue operations for trapped workers are ongoing.
Call for involvement of Central agencies in rescue efforts.

Hyderabad, Feb 25 (NationPress) The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), the principal opposition party in Telangana, has called for a judicial investigation into the recent incident involving the collapse of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel.

BRS Working President K.T. Rama Rao has urged for the immediate establishment of a judicial commission led by a sitting High Court judge to thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding the tunnel’s failure.

Accusing the Congress government of severe negligence, he laid the blame on Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy for focusing on election rallies instead of necessary relief operations.

KTR, as he is commonly known, criticized the state administration for proceeding with the tunnel's construction without obtaining the essential approvals from Geological Survey of India (GSI) specialists, labeling it a disturbing example of incompetence and inexperience.

He raised concerns regarding the Chief Minister’s absence from the rescue efforts while eight workers were still trapped inside. "Does the CM not have time to oversee the rescue of these workers while he is busy campaigning in helicopters?"

KTR highlighted that the Chief Minister addressed three public gatherings as part of the Congress party's MLC election campaign.

Pointing out a trend of accidents during the Congress administration, KTR referred to three significant incidents over the past 14 months. He mentioned the complete failure of the Peddavagu project in Khammam and the collapse of the retaining wall of the Sunkishala project, which was intended to supply drinking water to Hyderabad, resulting in losses amounting to hundreds of crores.

Concerning the SLBC tunnel collapse, where workers have been trapped for over 72 hours, KTR expressed profound worry about the slow tempo of rescue operations. He charged the government with carelessness, asserting that resuming the tunnel project without proper technical assessments or GSI approval put both lives and public funds at risk. "If no technical study was conducted before restarting the project and lives and public funds were endangered due to negligence, the blame lies solely with you," he remarked.

Criticizing ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy and Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, KTR stated that while one was ingloriously praising their efforts, the other was bewildered in the face of the crisis. "After four days of operations at SLBC, their achievements include eight missing workers, debris, slush, and a loss of Rs 300 crore in machinery. It's disgraceful that they take pride in such a failure," he added.

Demanding a thorough judicial inquiry, KTR called on the Congress government to disclose the facts surrounding the SLBC incident and the Sunkishala wall collapse. He urged for prompt action involving Central government agencies and the Army to accelerate rescue operations.