Governor Gives Permission to File Case Against Former Minister and BJP Executive President KTR
The controversy over the Formula-E car race has been heating up, as Governor Jishnu Dev Verma recently gave permission to file a case against former minister and BJP executive president KTR. This comes after the state cabinet forwarded the Governor's approval to the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which marks the start of a detailed investigation. According to reports, the ACB is to act fast. Case registration and inquiries are expected to be initiated within the next couple of days.
The state cabinet, headed by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, met for an hour-long session on Monday at the Assembly Committee Hall. The discussions went in depth into the consequences of the ACB investigation. The political fallouts and the context surrounding the Formula-E car race controversy were also discussed. Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said that formal instructions would be sent to the ACB either by late Monday night or on Tuesday.
The case is based on allegations that KTR, along with Arvind Kumar (the then Special Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration Department) and the department's Chief Engineer, mismanaged public funds. These include allegations of signing an agreement for the Formula-E event without proper permissions, paying foreign currency worth ₹46 crore without RBI approval, and violating the election code of conduct.
Justice Madan Lokur's report revealed more anomalies, including premature payments, agreements signed after fund disbursement, and the HMDA's unexpected involvement in the transactions. The ACB wants to track the money trail and ascertain accountability for these decisions.
The cabinet also examined reports of mismanagement regarding power agreements and infrastructure projects. It studied Justice Madan Lokur's findings on electricity procurement and the Yadadri-Bhadradri thermal plants, which had violations at various levels, hence deciding further discussion to take future decisions.
Other decisions taken by the cabinet include the issuance of new ration cards to eligible residents after Sankranti and ₹6,000 for landless poor families have been sanctioned by the government and will be distributed by the end of the month. These were some of the contentious issues regarding eligibility criteria and fund distribution.
The cabinet gave nod to several legislative and infrastructural decisions:
The revised budget for the barrage project has increased from the earlier estimate of ₹2,121 crore to ₹2,092.86 crore, incorporating additional work and cost adjustments since the project started in 2013.
