HYDERABAD: Alleging massive irregularities in the ongoing construction of Martyrs Memorial at Lumbini Park, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy on Saturday demanded a high-level inquiry to reveal how a contractor based in Andhra Pradesh was helping those at the helm pocket huge amounts in the form of kickbacks.
Taking media persons to the site of memorial, described often by TRS leaders as one of the prestigious projects to commemorate Telangana martyrs, Revanth Reddy not only questioned the delay in completion of the project, but also the way revised estimates were revised upwards by a whopping 300 per cent.
“Even as the project was delayed, the estimates were revised and in the four-and-a-half years, the cost has now touched Rs 180 crore,” he pointed out.
Revanth Reddy said that the contractor K Anil Kumar of KPC Projects, had earlier undertaken T-Hub works and was accused of being involved in irregularities, as per the CAG report of 2018. “Moreover, the company does not have the experience and has submitted forged or fabricated certificates, as per the CAG report. Rather than filing criminal charges against the company for the inordinate delay, the government has rewarding it by revising the cost estimates upwards,” alleged Revanth Reddy.
The TPCC chief alleged that Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao and his friend T Sridhar alias Gundu Sridhar were behind the “massive scam”. “Earlier, KCR (Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao) had accused AP contractors of looting Telangana. But now, he himself is assigning all major projects to Andhra contractors with an intention of getting huge commissions,” Revanth Reddy alleged. Referring to the recent visit of the Chief Minister to the site of the new Secretariat complex, the TPCC chief wondered why Telangana martyrs were not important to him.
He said that a DNA test should be conducted to ascertain whether the TRS supremo really hails from Telangana. He also gave a call for social boycott of the Kalvakuntala family for what he alleged was “swindling money in the name of Telangana martyrs”. “KCR should rub his nose on the ground to express his regret to the people of the State,” Revanth Reddy demanded.