HYDERABAD: Announcing that the “forensic audit” of alleged irregularities related to transactions on the Dharani portal will commence very soon, Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy on Friday said that the state government will initiate action against the landsharks sooner rather than later.
During an informal chat with reports at the state Secretariat here, the minister said that the government will look into the forensic audit report and details of Bhu Bharati portal’s pilot projects as well as the land surveys to identify the irregularities and initiate appropriate action.
When queried about the Congress government not taking action against former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, despite levelling serious corruption charges against him, the minister said that inquiries have been ordered into various irregularities and action would be taken based on final reports submitted by probe committees.
Responding to a query on MLC K Kavitha’s explosive allegation that talks were held in the past to merge BRS with BJP, Srinivasa Reddy described the controversy as a family feud and dismissed it as a “storm in a teacup”.
The minister also responded to the allegations levelled by BRS working president KT Rama Rao that explosives were used to sink certain barrages under the Kaleshwaram project. “KTR and his family looted the state in the name of Kaleshwaram project. Now, they are blaming the Congress government for collapse of barrages,” he said.
“The company that was entrusted with the responsibility of constructing the Kaleshwaram project is the key accused in the case, and it cannot dispute the National Dam Safety Authority’s report,” he added.
The minister also alleged that BRS and Rama Rao have connections in the Enforcement Directorate and that’s reason the agency never conducted searches at his residence. “But ED had conducted searches at my daughter’s residence in the past,” he said.
When asked about the alleged differences between Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he said: “Rahul Gandhi is our boss. Revanth Reddy has a hotline connection to speak to our boss.”