HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would be constituted to investigate alleged irregularities in the lease and tendering process of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) during the BRS regime.
The CM stated that the probe follows a request from former finance minister T Harish Rao, under whose watch the ORR lease was finalised.
Taking part in a short discussion on “Outstanding Liabilities of the State” in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, the CM said: “As Harish Rao wholeheartedly asked for the inquiry and his supporters joined him, I am ordering an SIT probe into the ORR lease tender process. This decision is based on the request from the principal Opposition party. The Cabinet will decide the terms of reference for the SIT.”
However, Harish refuted the claim, stating that he had not requested a probe but demanded cancellation of ORR tenders if any irregularities were found. However, Harish welcomed the probe.
BRS hastily awarded ORR lease tenders to pvt firm: CM
Revanth alleged that the previous BRS government had hastily awarded the ORR lease tenders to a private firm, deviating from the procedures with an objective to give undue benefit to selective individuals.
“They (BRS) sold the ORR before the elections, knowing that people will reject them and they will be defeated in the elections. They wanted to sell possible assets and flee the country,” the chief minister said.
Highlighting that the successive Congress governments had developed international airport, ORR, IT and Pharma industries in and around Hyderabad to put the city in the world map, he stated that the ORR was initially constructed with loans of around Rs 6,500 crore from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) during Dr YS Rajasekhar Reddy’s tenure as chief minister and repaid later.