HYDERABAD: Accusing IT & Industries Minister KT Rama Rao of escalating the construction cost of the Telangana Martyrs Memorial at Necklace Road from Rs 63.75 crore to Rs 179.05 crore by perpetrating massive corruption for commissions, TPCC chief A Revanth Reddy on Thursday promised to put all those responsible for this and other crimes behind the bars when the Congress comes to power in the State.
He also accused the BRS leaders of escalating the construction cost of the new Secretariat from Rs 400 crore to Rs 1,600 crore and the cost of 125-feet Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue installed on the Necklace Road from Rs 105 crore to Rs 200 crore.
Addressing the media at the Gandhi Bhavan, he alleged that Anil Kumar Ramisetty, son of contractor KC Pullaiah (KPC Projects Ltd), based in Proddutur in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, had bagged the contract for building the Martyrs Memorial, through his close association with one Sridhar Telukuntla, who he said, was a close friend of Rama Rao.
He said that the tender which was called for constructing the memorial, which was pegged at Rs 63,75,35,381 during the bidding of tender in 2018, was escalated to Rs 127,50,00,000 after the contract was awarded to Anil Kumar, which was again escalated to Rs 158,85,00,000 and then finally to Rs 179,05,00,000.
Calling the inauguration of the Martyrs Memorial by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao an insult to the martyrs who have sacrificed their lives in the Telangana movement, he said that the chief minister has betrayed the martyrs by not inscribing their names and showcasing the stories of their sacrifices at the memorial.