BRS alleges Rs 8,000 crore HAM roads scam in Telangana

Telangana HAM roads scam, Prashanth Reddy, BRS allegations, Congress government Telangana, road projects scam, Hybrid Annuity Model, Telangana infrastructure, road maintenance issues, Regional Ring Road delay, BJP intervention Telangana

Hyderabad: Former Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy accused the Congress government of gross negligence in maintaining roads and bridges, and of conspiring in a massive Rs 8,000 crore scam in Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) road projects. He demanded that Telangana BJP leaders ensure the Centre’s intervention, failing which it would be implied as complicity.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Prashanth Reddy alleged irregularities in HAM road projects, where tenders worth Rs 13,000 crore were invited for 6,000 km of roads. Of this, the government expressed readiness to release 10 per cent of the tender amount, which is around Rs 1,300 crore, as mobilisation advances.

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“The government’s decision could lead to large-scale misappropriation. In all, the government is planning to release Rs 8,000 crore as mobilisation advances,” he said, adding that another Rs 10,000 crore was proposed for maintenance of these roads. Demanding a vigilance probe, he questioned the credentials of firms like J Infra and Brunda Infra which are competing for the bids without any prior experience in road development.

Prashanth Reddy said roads under Panchayat Raj and R&B departments were in a deplorable condition, with huge potholes causing injuries. He accused the government of not taking up any significant repair works in the past two years. He cited the damaged Armoor–Banswada bridge as an example of administrative apathy.

The former MLA said the government released only 25 per cent of budgetary allocations to contractors over the last two years. Quoting Assembly data, he said 524 works covering 2,070 km were sanctioned since December 2023, but only 49 works of around 112 km have been completed. “This is less than five per cent of the sanctioned works,” he said.

Contrasting with the previous BRS regime, he said Rs 25,000 crore was spent over nine years, which is more than Rs 2,500 crore per annum, to lay 8,439 km of roads. However, the current government released only Rs 1,200 crore annually against the required Rs 4,000 crore. He also cited delays in key infrastructure development, including the much-awaited Regional Ring Road.