Hyderabad: Telangana Jagruti president K Kavitha on Friday alleged that contracts worth crores are being awarded in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) without inviting tenders.Addressing a press conference at the Jagruthi office, she said that while the previous BRS govt awarded works worth Rs 480 crore in a similar manner, the present Congress govt has continued the practice and expanded it to Rs 1,148 crore, alleging large-scale corruption. She demanded the immediate cancellation of such contracts and insisted that they be awarded only through a proper tender process. Kavitha claimed that contracts worth Rs 1,148 crore were awarded on a nomination basis, bypassing the mandatory tender process for works exceeding Rs 5 lakh. She stated that this is a direct violation of the Telangana State Financial Code and ignored the recommendations of the 2023 committee, which advised against non-tender contracts. She added that skilled labourers in these departments, where contracts were awarded through nomination, are being underpaid, receiving only Rs 13,000 instead of the mandated Rs 23,000. She also questioned the status of the SIT formed to probe alleged irregularities in the tender process for leasing out ORR to a company, suggesting that it was suppressed due to the firm’s proximity to the chief minister.On KaleshwaramKavitha said she welcomes the govt’s decision to repair the Kaleshwaram project, but warned that it should not be done for commissions. She alleged that the govt deliberately allowed 8.5 lakh acres of land to dry up to label the project a failure. She urged that the repairs should genuinely benefit farmers.
