BRS flags PM Ekta Mall tender irregularities; Govt seeks detailed report

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has alleged irregularities and a multi-crore scam in the PM Ekta Mall tenders at Raidurg, Hyderabad. K. T. Rama Rao demanded cancellation of tenders and sought Union intervention, while Minister D. Sridhar Babu dismissed the charges as political drama, asserting transparency in the process.

Hyderabad: After the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) brought out irregularities in the PM Ekta Mall tenders for the proposed project at Raidurg, the State Government directed Telangana Trade Promotion officials to submit a detailed report on the project.

Controversy erupted over the tenders, with the BRS working president KT Rama Rao alleging a multi-crore scam and the Congress government denying any foul play.

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The proposed project has an estimated cost of Rs 2,059.81 crore, excluding the value of land, and has received around Rs 202 crore in Central assistance. It is proposed on about 6.3 acres of prime land at Raidurg, with nearly 27 lakh square feet of built-up area.

Rama Rao alleged that the tender process was a multi-crore scam and demanded cancellation of the tenders. He also wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, seeking a halt to the release of Central funds and a probe into the entire tender process and related transactions.

The BRS alleged that the Congress government in Telangana had tilted the tender conditions in favour of a private developer, which could result in disproportionate benefits at the cost of public resources. It urged the Centre to intervene before any irreversible decisions were taken.

Under the tender conditions, the government’s minimum share would be around nine lakh square feet, while the private developer would be entitled to a minimum of 18 lakh square feet, twice the government’s minimum built-up area.

Rama Rao questioned the rationale behind granting such extensive commercial rights to a private developer when the project involves valuable public land and substantial Central financial assistance.

Responding to the allegations, Sridhar Babu condemned the BRS charges, describing them as political drama by the former Industries Minister for political gain.

“There were no irregularities whatsoever in the PM Ekta Mall tender process. The entire process was conducted in a completely transparent manner and strictly in accordance with the prescribed rules and procedures,” Sridhar Babu said in a statement.

However, the Minister directed Telangana Trade Promotion officials to submit complete details of the project to the government.

“I have directed the Telangana Trade Promotion officials to immediately submit complete details of the PM Ekta Mall project, including the tenders, financial model and DPR (Detailed Project Report), to the government,” he said.

Sridhar Babu also said it was inappropriate for Rama Rao to politicise projects of national importance.