Housing Scam: BJP Slams Officials for Action Against ‘Small Fries’
BJP leader Midathala Ramesh demanded that the government first hold senior housing officials accountable for the irregularities before proceeding against lower-level staff.
Nellore: The BJP criticised higher authorities for initiating action against several Secretariat employees in connection with alleged large-scale corruption in the state housing scheme, while senior officials have gone unpunished.
BJP leader Midathala Ramesh demanded that the government first hold senior housing officials accountable for the irregularities before proceeding against lower-level staff. “While hundreds of crores of rupees were misused by senior officials in the housing department, the focus has now shifted to six Secretariat employees in Nellore Urban, against whom disciplinary orders have been issued by the housing MD’s office to the public and health department,” Ramesh alleged. In a representation to the deputy superintendent of the health department, Ramesh claimed that a division engineer and a contractor, with the support of the previous government, had committed irregularities in housing construction.
He alleged that a computer operator working under the Nellore City sub-division had collected the user IDs and passwords of Secretariat staff and carried out online manipulations, leading to widespread corruption.
According to Ramesh, the housing MD’s office framed orders in such a way that, if the corruption came to light, the blame would fall on Secretariat employees, shielding senior officials from scrutiny.
He further alleged that materials meant for one house, such as steel and cement, were diverted to two houses, with separate final bills raised for both. Ramesh claimed that misuse of materials in Option-3 housing works alone could amount to nearly ₹3,000 crore, apart from ₹950 crore spent on free sand, ₹196 crore in excess payments for steel procurement, and ₹100 crore in OTS funds allegedly diverted under the guise of layout levelling.
Additionally, he alleged that around ₹3,700 crore was misappropriated under heads such as doors, windows, sanitary works, electrification, and water tanks, all shown as completed in records, though final bills were cleared without actual delivery to beneficiaries.
Ramesh demanded that the “real culprits” — senior housing officials — be brought to justice, warning that if they were spared while Secretariat staff were punished, the BJP would launch a legal and public agitation to ensure accountability.
