HYDERABAD: Alleging corruption to the tune of ₹15,000 crore in the three thermal power projects, at Bhadradri, Kothagudem and Yadadri, taken up by the BRS government, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy called the BRS government the ‘30 per cent commission sarkar’.
“The corrupt practices resorted to (by BRS) has resulted in an increase in power charges, as the per MW (megawatt) cost rose to ₹9.70 crores, from ₹5.5 crores arrived at when tenders were called and companies like BHEL, NTPC and other global companies participated. This has resulted in increased tariffs in the form of cess, ACD (advance consumption demand), deposits and surcharges from consumers. It also led to the Genco and Transco accumulating a debt of ₹60,000 crore,” he said.
“The employees of the companies had recently complained that they were not getting their salaries, leading to a fall in their CIBIL scores. The CMD, Prabhakar Rao, had himself informed the media that they are providing single-phase power for 24 hours and not three-phase power, which is needed for agriculture. Single-phase power is useful only for household purposes and it is well known,” Revanth Reddy said.
Repeating his charge of ₹8,000 crore graft in purchasing power, he asked, “When they are not providing 24-hour power to anyone, where is the remaining power going? It is being supplied illegally to some companies. Free power is the hallmark of the Congress. If the BRS government is confident that they have provided power properly, then why have they seized the 3,500 log books from across substations in the state?”
The TPCC chief said that the data is now being enumerated on white papers after an expose by Congress colleague Komatireddy Venkat Reddy.
Revanth said, “Let us consider this a referendum. Let KCR and his incumbent MLAs contest from their constituencies without any change if they are confident that they have delivered. I call on our cadre and farmers to hold counter-protests at the Rythu Vedikas and question the BRS leaders on their failure to waive ₹1 lakh loan, podu lands, protest against them until they return the seized assigned lands. Question them why Telangana is second in farmer suicides.”
Rejecting the tag of ‘Godse occupying Gandhi Bhavan’, he said, “I joined the Congress as a worker and not to seek power. I am with the ideology of the party, which is why I have been given this post. This is being brought up as they have failed to answer my questions and are trying to sidetrack the debate. I also strongly condemn the remarks of KTR against Rahul Gandhi, who is trying to keep the country together. He comes from the family of Sonia Gandhi and others, who sacrificed their power and delivered Telangana state.”
