TD leader and FiberNet cairman GV Reddy resigns; government transfers MD Dinesh Kumar

Vijayawada:Telugu Desam leader GV Reddy has shocked the party by resigning from his position as chairman of the scandal-hit AP FiberNet Ltd. He also announced his resignation from the national spokesperson role and primary membership of the TD. He wrote a letter to this effect to party chief N Chandrababu Naidu, citing personal reasons.

This, days after he made serious allegations against the FiberNet MD Dinesh Kumar and some others, citing several serious irregularities there.

Reddy said he aimed to continue his career as a lawyer. The state government has approved the resignation of GV Reddy from the post of Fibernet chairman.

Notably, the report on the controversy going on in this entity reached the chief minister’s table. The government meanwhile transferred Fiber Net MD Dinesh Kumar. He was instructed to report to the General Administration Department.

Recently, during a press conference in Vijayawada, Reddy criticized the performance of AP FiberNet, stating, "In the last nine months, the only organisation in the state that has seen no progress is AP FiberNet Limited. Since we took office, not a single connection has been provided. Moreover, we are unable to provide consistent services to existing connections. We have faced significant criticism from cable operators and consumers regarding this issue. Currently, officials are scrambling to cover up their failures."

He made severe allegations against Dinesh Kumar, Managing Director of AP FiberNet, along with three other officials: Chief Technology Officer Bharadwaj, Business Head Suresh, and Procurement Officer Shashank. He accused them of conspiring against the government and engaging in treasonous activities that hurt the reputation of the organisation. He announced the immediate termination of Bharadwaj, Suresh and Shashank.

GV Reddy also revealed that 410 illegal appointments took place at AP FiberNet and these were yet to be canceled, and salaries were still being paid to them without dismissals. He noted that due to official negligence, GST authorities imposed a penalty of `370 crore on the company.

Reddy demanded that this amount be recovered from MD Dinesh Kumar and HR ED Ramesh Naidu, on whom he put the blame for the GST penalty. He mentioned that despite the vigilance committee advising the suspension of `60 crore in payments, the officials went ahead and made the payments, which, he said, he now plans to recover.

Reddy stated that he would file complaints against Dinesh Kumar and Ramesh Naidu with the chief secretary and advocate general, ensuring that he acts according to their directives.

He also commented on the mismanagement during the previous government, suggesting that it led to losses for YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. He predicted that "in another six months, AP FiberNet will cease to exist" unless the incompetence of officials within the government is addressed.

Reddy expressed his concern that a perception might occur that he was the reason for the organisation's collapse – and highlighted issues such as the halt in cable broadcasts and the continuation of dismissed employees through alleged “blackmail for money.”