VIJAYAWADA: The State government has decided to dig deep into the I-T notice issued to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu for allegedly receiving kickbacks from infrastructure firms through bogus sub-contractors.
Speaking exclusively to TNIE on Wednesday, Government Advisor (public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said that APCID would be questioning Manoj Vasudev Pardasanny, whose name figured in the I-T notice, and Yogesh Gupta and Naidu’s personal assistant, Srinivas, who were linked to the AP Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) case.
“The Special Investigation Team under the Economic Offences Wing of the CID will question the three. A separate case will be registered, if evidence is found in the alleged I-T tax evasion issue. We will seek more information from the I-T department and will urge the Enforcement Directorate to look into the matter,” he asserted.
When asked about how the State government is acting on alleged tax evasion, which does not fall under its purview, the YSRC general secretary told TNIE that there are individuals whose names have figured in both the APSSDC and I-T cases.
“Naidu’s personal assistant, Srinivas, is the common lead in both the cases. Several people have received the proceeds of the crime based on his instructions. Srinivas is said to be acting at the behest of Naidu,’’ Sajjala pointed out.
“Unlike other cases of tax evasion, this one involves public money, which was diverted through various shell companies. The proceeds landed through hawala channels,” he said and added that the construction cost of TIDCO houses was increased by almost 100 per cent to loot the people and receive kickbacks from a particular firm.
“The then TDP government wanted to burden the poor by inflating the cost of TIDCO houses. Though the project did not take off, there was a clear intention to loot public money. Similarly, the previous government received kickbacks from another firm, which was given the contract to construct infrastructure facilities in Amaravati. This is a clear-cut case of political corruption, which Naidu can’t deny any more.”
The YSRC general secretary also said that the then government’s plan was to award TIDCO to Shapoorji Pallonji Group at a very inflated rate.“The plan was to give the contract of constructing TIDCO houses at a rate of Rs 2,200 per sq ft, while the actual rate, as per the prices then, would have been a mere Rs 1,000. This means the rates were escalated by more than 100 per cent. The beneficiaries, who are poor, would have to pay Rs 7 lakh to Rs 8 lakh if the project would have been executed. We sensed something was fishy and raised the issue during the Nandyal bypolls in 2017,’’ he reiterated.
On being asked about the possible involvement of the then Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) minister P Narayana, Sajjala said there was a mention of an individual, Narayan, in the notices issued by the I-T as one of the receivers of the money and the CID would look into it.