- HAM road scam allegations raise Rs 18000 crore concerns
- Harish Rao demands probe into Telangana road tenders
Hyderabad: HAM road scam allegations stirred political debate on Tuesday as BRSLP deputy leader T Harish Rao accused the Congress government of irregularities in road project tenders. He claimed that excess mobilisation advances were being released, leading to what he described as a Rs 18,000 crore scam in Hybrid Annuity Model road works.
Speaking during an informal interaction with mediapersons at the Assembly, Harish Rao said the government’s actions raised serious concerns. He alleged that the execution of HAM road projects in Telangana lacked transparency. Therefore, he demanded immediate cancellation of the tenders and called for a probe by a sitting High Court judge.
Meanwhile, he said the BRS would approach multiple institutions on the issue. He stated that the party would take the matter to the Central Vigilance Commission, the Reserve Bank of India, and other agencies. He also confirmed that the issue would be raised during the ongoing budget discussions in the Assembly.
Harish Rao further explained that the projects involved large sums of money. He said around Rs 12,000 crore worth of works were under the Roads and Buildings department. Another Rs 6,000 crore projects were under the Panchayat Raj department. He added that a 10 per cent mobilisation advance was introduced, which allowed about Rs 1,800 crore to be released upfront.
He alleged that this upfront release could be diverted for political purposes of Congress leaders. He also claimed that tenders, which are usually finalised below estimates, were now awarded at rates 15 to 20 per cent higher than projected costs. According to him, this indicated manipulation in the tendering process.
He further said that the process bypassed the Committee of Tenders and removed the earlier five per cent cap on premium bids. In several projects, only two bidders participated. He claimed this pointed to the existence of a contractor syndicate. He also named a few companies that allegedly secured multiple works.
Later, Harish Rao said the BRS would expose these irregularities during discussions on Roads and Buildings in the Assembly. He also referred to Singareni tenders, stating that bids were reduced only after the BRS raised concerns earlier.
He warned that the party would take strict action against officials if it returns to power. The allegations have added to the ongoing political tensions in the Assembly.
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