Complaints over widespread corruption in Telangana Congress government continue

Telangana Sarpanchula Sangam Joint Action Committee files complaint with Anti-Corruption Bureau, alleging that officials at State Finance Commission Commissioner’s office are demanding commissions from contractors

Hyderabad: Cutting across sections, complaints are being made over widespread corruption in the Telangana Congress government.

After politicians, building permission applicants and retired employees, now former Sarpanches are also complaining that commission was being demanded from contractors to clear their pending bills.

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To this effect, Telangana Sarpanchula Sangam Joint Action Committee lodged a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau stating that officials in the State Finance Commission Commissioner’s office were demanding commission from contractors. They appealed that stern action should be taken against officials involved in such irregularities.

In a representation submitted to the ACB Director General on Thursday, the Joint Action Committee said contractors were complaining that officials in the finance department were demanding 9-12 per cent commission to clear their pending bills.

Already, a few elected public representatives had complained about similar irregularities. For the last 12 months, our pending bills were also not being cleared. The SDF and Mana Ooru Mana Badi works cheques were prepared but were not being handed over to the agencies.

Considering all these factors, the ACB should conduct a probe and initiate stern action against officials involved, the Joint Action Committee members appealed.

It may be recalled that BJP MP from Malkajgiri Etala Rajender at a press conference on Sunday had charged that the Finance Department was not clearing even petty bills unless the contractors paid 7-10 per cent commission.

At the BJP Executive Committee meeting held here in July, the MP had reportedly charged that employees were not getting their retirement benefits without paying bribes. He had also claimed that builders had to shell out Rs 75 per sft as bribe for obtaining building permissions.

The fact that the State Anti-Corruption Bureau had nabbed over 170 persons in anti-bribery drive across Telangana in 2024 substantiates these charges.

Among all government departments, officials from revenue, police, panchayat raj and stamps and registration, were in high numbers nabbed by ACB sleuths. Compared to the six cases registered and nine officials trapped in 2023 by ACB sleuths, the cases increased to 12 and 20 officials trapped in 2024.