Mining Controversy: CID Probe Puts BRS on the Defensive
The Congress maintained that attempts by the BRS to implicate Raghava Constructions were misplaced, as the company was only consuming the material supplied by Tirumala Crushers in which it had no direct or indirect stakes.
Hyderabad: The Congress has turned the tables on the BRS in the mining controversy, putting the opposition party in a tight spot by ordering a CID probe into all developments from the state’s formation in 2014. The first indication of the BRS attempting to wriggle out of the situation came from BRS leader T. Harish Rao, who on Sunday called for an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge instead of an investigation by the CID.
Notably, Harish Rao, who had earlier strongly demanded a House committee probe, backtracked on the matter by seeking an investigation led by a sitting judge, effectively proposing a compromise formula to sideline both the House committee and the CID probe with a fresh demand that may never happen.
Congress sources claimed the BRS has scored a self goal by attempting to target revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy by raking up Raghava Constructions mining issue in the Assembly. It only ended up with the government ordering the CID inquiry into all mining irregularities starting from the BRS government tenure. The ruling party believes that the CID probe will unearth mining scams worth hundreds of crores of the decade-long BRS regime.
The Congress maintained that attempts by the BRS to implicate Raghava Constructions were misplaced, as the company was only consuming the material supplied by Tirumala Crushers in which it had no direct or indirect stakes.
The Congress is preparing to take its counterattack into the public with detailed facts. The Congress Legislative Party has readied a two-pronged strategy to counter the BRS over the Kotwalguda mining issue, asserting that the Opposition’s move would ultimately expose large-scale irregularities linked to land and mining activities during BRS regime.
Congress sources say the BRS raised the Raghava issue fearing that alleged illegal land acquisitions involving BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao in Sircilla and Harish Rao in Siddipet constituencies would come to light. They alleged that during the BRS regime, debris and waste materials accumulated at a site near Kotwalguda as part of the Budvel land development were later sourced by Raghava Constructions from Tirumala Crushers in compliance with all rules.
The Congress pointed out contradictions in the BRS stand, noting that the previous BRS government had granted several exemptions under GO 111, undermining the very existence of Osmansagar and Himayatsagar, while now was now raising concerns over pollution in the same water bodies. The Congress believes this shift indicates a larger conspiracy, which it intends to expose.
The government stated that Raghava Constructions had purchased aggregate material from Tirumala Crushers after paying the applicable seigniorage cess. It cited payments made on December 18, 2025, including Rs.1.52 crore and Rs.1.22 crore towards road works royalty to the mining department, adding that there is no direct or indirect violation attributable to the company.
The Congress plans to present before the Assembly details of mining leases and operations across several districts, including Rangareddy, Medchal, Sangareddy, Siddipet, the erstwhile Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam. It intends to highlight vigilance reports, penalty notices and the scale of mining carried out over hundreds of hectares to underline alleged irregularities during the BRS regime. Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy is expected to disclose details soon related to alleged irregularities in Dharani, housing and mining sectors during the BRS regime.
