ADILABAD: In a major allegation against Sirpur TRS MLA Koneru Konappa, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress Sirpur-Kaghaznagar constituency in-charge P Harish Babu said on Sunday that some miscreants who work for Konappa illegally chopped as many as 40 trees in the constituency recently. TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy tweeted the pictures of the chopped trees though his official handle on Saturday and demanded the Chief Minister to immediately take action against the MLA who violated environmental norms and cut trees for personal purpose at a time when the pink party continues to hail Haritha Haram as its pet project.
Meanwhile, in a letter addressed to the State Chief Secretary, explaining the matter, P Harish Babu mentioned that all the trees were at least 30-years-old and alleged that they were taken to the MLA’s residence in Sirpur. In the letter, Harish Babu alleged that a person named Maheboob Khan alias Baba, a co-option member and follower of the MLA, cut as many as 40 trees that stood by the side of Kaghaznagar-Sirpur T mandal road on May 12, around midnight, and smuggled the logs to Konappa’s residence, in Guntur colony, in a lorry (No AP-01-T-0866). He mentioned that the felling of trees was carried out illegally.
“If they had permission to cut the trees, why was it done during midnight,” Harish Babu questioned.
The Congress leader demanded the State government to initiate a proper inquiry into the issue.
Meanwhile, in a video that started surfacing on social media after the Congress leaders made the allegations, Maheboob Khan, who’s been named as the accused in Harish Babu’s letter, was seen giving clarification on the matter.
He said that the felling of trees was not illegal and that the tender processes for the same was carried out by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department in last December. During the process, three persons had submitted their bids from which I received the tender on December 12, 2019, he said in the video. He also said that the Congress leaders are making false allegations against Koneru Konappa.