Rahul Gandhi and TPCC president Revanth Reddy point to a crevice on the ground. (X @RahulGandhi)
BRS pointed out Gandhi’s ‘ignorance’, saying the ‘crack’ on the ground — and not the pillars of Kaleshwaram project in Telangana — is an expansion joint that every dam or bridge has
An ambiguous photo posted by Rahul Gandhi on social networking site X, talking about cracks developing in the pillars of Kaleshwaram project in Telangana, has triggered trolling on social media.
In the post, Gandhi wrote: “I visited the Medigadda barrage, which is a part of the corruption-ridden Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme in Telangana. Cracks have developed in multiple pillars because of shoddy construction with reports indicating that the pillars are sinking. KCR and his family are using the Kaleshwaram Project as their personal ATM to plunder the people of Telangana.”
However, one of the photos accompanying the post shows Gandhi and TPCC president Revanth Reddy pointing at a crevice on the ground. It is not clear if the crevice is the ‘crack’ Gandhi is speaking about in the post.
Kaleshwaram Project = KCR Family ATMI visited the Medigadda barrage, which is a part of the corruption-ridden Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme in Telangana.
Cracks have developed in multiple pillars because of shoddy construction with reports indicating that the pillars are… pic.twitter.com/BWe8Td9mCq
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 2, 2023
Taking a dig, ruling party BRS pointed out Gandhi’s ‘ignorance’, saying the ‘crack’ on the ground is an expansion joint that every dam or bridge has. The BRS TechCell posted that Gandhi was an ‘imbecile idiot’ for not knowing the difference between a crack and an expansion joint.
Explaining what expansion joints are, Sridhar Rao Deshpande, Officer on Special Duty to the Chief Minister of Telangana on Irrigation & Command Area Development, told News18: “It is a joint meant for adjustment of cement concrete that expands due to heat in summer. Every material will have some expansion coefficient, including cement concrete. Metals will have more expansion coefficient. On railway tracks, a gap is left between the tracks so that the expansion of steel is adjusted during summer season. They are describing these gaps as cracks. It is sheer nonsense. On road bridges, bitumen is filled in these gaps to make the vehicles run smoothly.”
He added: “Slabs on bridges or barrages are laid block wise, not monolithically. Between these blocks, a gap is left which is called expansion joint. To prevent deterioration of the edges of slabs at the joints, C channels are kept on both edges and bitumen is filled in the gap. Since the photo shared by Rahul Gandhi is taken from a close angle, the expansion joint is looking wider than usual.”
However, the Congress IT Cell argued that Gandhi said cracks had developed on the pillars and did not specify the ‘crack’ he is pointing at in the photo.
The BRS has been receiving flak regarding construction of the Kaleshwaram project after a few pillars of Medigadda barrage sank by a few feet. The National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) has constituted a team to look into it. Gandhi visited the site on Thursday and said shoddy construction by the BRS was the reason behind the pillars sinking.
