Karnataka: Panel of experts to investigate collapse of Tungabhadra dam’s crest gate

Hosapete (Vijayanagar district): The Tungabhadra Board has constituted a committee of experts to find out the reasons behind the collapse of the 19th crest gate of the Tungabhadra reservoir. The gate collapsed on the night of August 10 after its link broke and was washed away by the water accumulated in the dam. The panel of experts is headed by former Central Water Commission chairman A K Bajaj. According to Tungabhadra Board secretary O R K Reddy, the panel comprises dam experts Harkesh Kumar, Tarapuram Sudhakar and representatives of technical advisory committees of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The committee will check whether the gates and chains were inspected from time to time and will also assess the safety of other crest gates of the dam.