The SIT will investigate allegations of irregularities in tenders for toll collection and maintenance of ORR, the Chief Minister told the Legislative Assembly. | Photo Courtesy: Nagara Gopal
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has said that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe the alleged financial irregularities in the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government’s lease of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to a private company for 30 years.
Intervening in the debate in the Assembly on Thursday, Mr. Reddy said the guidelines for the inquiry would be discussed in the Cabinet. His statement was in response to BRS MLA Harish Rao’s comments during the debate on loans during BRS rule where the latter said the government could inquire into the ORR lease instead of repeatedly targeting BRS on the issue.
Mr. Revanth Reddy intervened and said that since Mr. Harish Rao had demanded a probe, the government would go for an SIT probe and he would also discuss the matter with his cabinet colleagues.
The toll collection and maintenance of ORR was leased to the IRB company for 30 years by the previous BRS government for Rs 7,800 crore ahead of the 2023 assembly elections. The decision caused a huge uproar with the Congress alleging that it had ‘sold’ ORR for a pittance ahead of the assembly elections.
The Chief Minister’s intervention came amid heated debate where Mr. Harish Rao raised the issue of 400 acres of land handed over by the Congress to the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC) from the Revenue Department in Rayadurgam at a cost of Rs 75 crore per acre. Responding to this, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Wickremarka said that the Congress government had not given land to private companies like BRS, which leased the ORR tender for 30 years. Mr. Harish then asked the state government to cancel the contract if it felt there was a deviation of the law.
The Chief Minister then rose from his seat and announced that he had accepted the demand and ordered an SIT inquiry after seeking permission from Speaker Gaddam Prasad Rao.
Mr. Harish Rao replied that he only asked the government to cancel the contract without asking for an inquiry and accused the Chief Minister of trying to play to the galleries. However, Revenue Minister Panguleti Srinivasa Reddy asked Mr. Harish Rao if any agreement could be canceled without inquiring into the agreement. Government can cancel the contract only after investigation and report.
published – December 19, 2024 at 09:04 am IST