HYDERABAD: Alleging embezzlement, TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy urged Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan to launch a high-level probe into the ‘irregularities’ in distribution of flood relief. The Nalgonda MP and other Congress leaders spoke to the Governor over the telephone on Friday about the issue.
Describing the distribution of funds as “an open loot in broad daylight”, Uttam said, “In a national calamity or crop loss, the official machinery enumerates the losses and prepares a list of the affected people. Later, cheques are distributed to all the victims. Even a payment of Rs 100 is paid via cheque. However, of the Rs 550 crore sanctioned, the State government withdrew Rs 387 crore in cash and it was distributed through TRS cadre, who wore TRS kanduvas (towels).”
Uttam told the Governor that the same TRS-led State government had made payments of Rs 1,500 into the bank accounts of food security cardholders during the lockdown. “There is no legality or justification for the drawl of such huge amounts of money and its distribution through TRS cadre. We can give proof of the TRS workers taking commissions from flood victims. At many places, they took up to Rs 5,000. It appears that the party is trying to buy votes for the GHMC elections using public money,” he alleged.
Former MP Konda Vishveshwar Reddy told the Governor that the distribution of relief in cash was illegal.
“A few senior members of the judiciary had pointed this out to the Congress party as well as the TRS party leadership. The relief amount was distributed only in GHMC areas, in view of forthcoming elections, while the actual affected families in Shamshabad and Manikonda were denied of the help,” he said.