The Commission of Inquiry on Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), led by Justice P C Ghose, questioned four Engineers-in-Chief (ENCs) Muralidhar Rao, Hari Ram, Nalla Venkateshwarlu, and Narender Reddy on Thursday regarding alleged irregularities in the project. Barring Hari Ram the remaining three have retired from service.

Justice P C Ghose expressed impatience with retired ENC Muralidhar Rao, who repeatedly stated that he did not remember details about the project. When asked about his retirement date, he responded that he retired in February 2024.

Justice Ghose questioned Murlidhar Rao how he could forget project details so soon while Ghosh said that he still remembers final judgments in many cases during his tenure. Rao claimed memory loss, prompting the Commission to advise him to read books to improve his memory.

Meanwhile, Nalla Venkateshwarlu told the commission that the locations of Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla barrages were changed to optimize project efficiency. He stated that these changes were made on instructions from the Chief Engineer (CE). When asked about water storage in the barrage, he confirmed it was done per instructions from the then Chief Minister, K. Chandrashekar Rao.