HYDERABAD: BRS leader T Harish Rao on Wednesday alleged that the state government has opened the doors to a fresh corruption scandal in the Excise sector.
In an informal chat with reporters here, the former minister claimed that “while a total of 110 applications were received for micro brewery licences, 25 licences were prepared to be allotted to political leaders and ministers”.
“Under the quota of a key leader, 21 licences were kept ready, while the remaining four were reserved under a minister’s quota,” he alleged.
The legislator from Siddipet further alleged: “A person acting as a close shadow of the senior leader has recently come into the spotlight. This individual has direct access to the leader’s residence and accompanies him regularly, including during his recent visit to Tirupati. Unofficial agreements were made to collect Rs 1.8 crore per brewery licence.”
“While Rs 1.5 crore is meant for the main leader, Rs 30 lakh goes to the intermediary acting on his behalf,” he added. The former minister also said that liquor shop licences were issued to select individuals without conducting the mandatory lucky draw process.
He also claimed that for the first time in the history of the state, liquor supply companies are awaiting clearance of dues to the tune of nearly `4,500 crore. “For the last 16 months, payments to liquor supplying companies have not been released. Such a situation has never occurred earlier,” he pointed out.
“Due to this negligence, breezer supply was completely stopped in many parts of the state. Several multinational liquor companies have written multiple times to the government, warning that they would stop supplies due to non-payment of dues,” he said.
‘Dispute over commissions may impact state’s revenue’
Alleging that internal disputes over commission sharing among ministers has led to this crisis, he said this may seriously impact state’s revenue.
In the hologram tender issue, conflicts between a senior leader and a minister resulted in an IAS officer being pushed into voluntary retirement, the BRS leader alleged.
Recalling that crop holidays were declared under Singur dam in Medak district, across nearly 40,000 acres in Sangareddy district, and for about 30,000 acres under the Ghanpur command area, Harish said that at the same time, beer manufacturing companies located in Sangareddy district continued to receive uninterrupted water supply. The principal secretary of the Excise department issued orders to ensure water supply to beer companies as per government directions, he said.
Harish alleged that the present government has turned Telangana into a liquor-driven state and liquor shops were opened in every locality.
“In just two years of Congress rule, Excise revenue increased by nearly `10,000 crore,” he added.