Hyderabad: The state cabinet on Thursday signalled a twin-track push on accountability and governance, deciding that chief minister A Revanth Reddy and irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy will meet the director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seek a probe into alleged irregularities in the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project. At the same time, the cabinet announced a 100-day action plan to clear long-pending retirement dues of govt employees.The state govt had already urged the CBI to take up the Kaleshwaram case through a resolution passed in the assembly nine months ago.These decisions were taken at the cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister, where ministers also discussed Wednesday’s verdict of the Telangana high court on the report of the Justice P C Ghose Commission. The cabinet decided against initiating any coercive action against BRS president and former CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and former minister T Harish Rao in connection with the case.Uttam Kumar Reddy said the advocate general, who attended the meeting, briefed ministers on the HC judgment and the options available to the govt for the next course of action. He added the CM has constituted a committee comprising deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, himself, and minister D Sridhar Babu to consult legal experts on whether to approach the Supreme Court or extend the tenure of the Ghose Commission.The minister maintained that the HC had not given a clean chit to KCR and Harish Rao and reiterated that the govt would fix accountability for the alleged irregularities. He also stated that the court had not found fault with the constitution of the commission.Information and public relations minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the cabinet also discussed the ongoing RTC workers’ strike and expressed sympathy towards their concerns. Talks with the unions are scheduled for Friday. A committee headed by Bhatti Vikramarka has been set up to conduct negotiations.Ponguleti said the previous BRS govt had not released retirement benefits, and that the increase in retirement age, coupled with non-payment of benefits, had caused hardship to retirees and their families. The cabinet decided to take immediate steps to clear pending dues to prevent retired employees from having to repeatedly visit offices.Pending dues amount to Rs 6,200 crore for regular employees and Rs 8,000 crore for retirees. As the state’s financial position does not permit immediate disbursal, the cabinet resolved to explore alternative funding options. Ministers also offered to contribute 50 per cent of their salaries, along with those of public representatives, towards clearing the dues. A resource mobilisation sub-committee will engage with employee, teacher, and pensioner associations to resolve the issue within the 100-day timeframe, Ponguleti said. Among other decisions, the cabinet approved nomination-based appointments to the governing bodies of primary agricultural cooperative societies following the expiry of their terms. The cabinet also cleared a proposal to redevelop the Gachibowli stadium under the public-private partnership model. The plan includes facilities for 21 sports disciplines across 64 of the available 76 acres, expansion of seating capacity from 20,000 to 50,000, and the establishment of a sports university, athlete hostels, and training infrastructure. The remaining 12 acres will be allocated for commercial development, with revenue earmarked for maintenance and sports infrastructure.Additionally, the cabinet approved land acquisition for the Chinna Kaleshwaram project in Manthani constituency, expected to benefit nearly 45,000 acres and 63 villages. An amount of Rs 166.67 crore has been sanctioned for acquiring the remaining land.It also cleared the establishment of an integrated aqua park in Hajipur of Mancherial district, allocating 85.10 acres of irrigation land to the fisheries department.
