Harish Rao calls out irregularities in Singareni tenders, demands CBI probe

BRS deputy floor leader T. Harish Rao accused the Congress government of large-scale irregularities in Singareni Collieries, alleging tender rigging, inflated contracts and political interference. He demanded a CBI probe and questioned selective cancellation of tenders.

Hyderabad: The cancellation of the Naini Block tenders by the State government appears to be just the tip of the iceberg, with BRS deputy floor leader T Harish Rao accusing the Congress leadership of engineering a wider and systemic scam in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). He blamed the Revanth Reddy government for indulging in a deeper network of inflated contracts, manipulated procedures, and political interference, and demanded a full-scale CBI investigation.

He laid out a detailed and point-by-point accusation of large-scale irregularities in SCCL, stating that a coordinated tender rigging operation involving the Chief Minister, senior Ministers, and their associates.

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Speaking at Telangana Bhavan on Monday, Harish Rao said the newly-introduced “site visit certificate system” in Singareni was a procedure absent in Coal India, Western Coalfields, or past SCCL practices. “This system was invented in 2024 after Congress came to power in the State. The first beneficiary was the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law, Srujan Reddy. His company Shodha Constructions received the first tender under this new arrangement,” he alleged.

The BRS deputy floor leader pointed out that across the country, overburden (OB) tenders traditionally fall between minus 10 per cent and minus 22 per cent, but in Singareni, rates suddenly jumped to plus 7-10 per cent after the new system was introduced. He argued that the mandatory site visit allowed the ruling party to identify bidders beforehand, intimidate competitors and steer contracts to favoured companies at inflated prices.

He questioned why only the Naini block tenders were cancelled while six others, awarded under the same controversial procedure, remained untouched. “If the process is illegal in one case, it is illegal in all. Cancel all tenders,” he demanded.

Harish Rao also detailed how tenders awarded at competitive ‘minus’ percentages during the previous BRS rrule were allegedly cancelled and re-issued at ‘plus’ percentages under the Congress. He cited tenders such as Venkateshan Kani and SRP OC-2 coal mines, which shifted from minus 10 per cent earlier to plus 7 per cent now, calling it deliberate manipulation which was causing revenue loss to the SCCL. He also pointed to repeated postponements of the SRP OC-2 expansion tender as the commissions were not finalised.

The former Minister remarked that another major irregularity involved the government stopping procurement of diesel used machinery used for OB removal directly from Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and instead, routing it through contractors. “This move is purely for commissions. As a result, Singareni will suffer additional cost and GST burden, causing direct loss,” he added.

Demanding a CBI inquiry, Harish Rao challenged the Chief Minister. “You order SITs for everything else. If you have courage and honesty, order a CBI probe. I will provide every document. If there is no secret deal between Revanth Reddy and the BJP, Kishan Reddy should immediately authorise a CBI investigation,” he demanded.

The BRS deputy floor leader also accused the police of selectively targeting the opposition leaders and journalists, while remaining silent despite such large-scale irregularities, extortion allegations, and threats to contractors. “DGP Shivadhar Reddy and Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar have remained silent, despite serious allegations. Has their Khakhi lost its strength?” he asked.

He questioned the absence of a regular Chairman and Managing Director for SCCL for two years, which was further enabling unchecked manipulation by politically connected individuals.

Turning to politics, Harish Rao took a sharp dig at Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s praises for late NT Rama Rao at a recent public meeting in Khammam and called out his political opportunism. “If you loved NTR so much, you should have stayed in TDP. Instead, you have abandoned TDP and joined the Congress against which NTR fought throughout his life,” he said.

He stated that invoking NT Rama Rao exposed the Chief Minister’s political desperation and vote-bank politics, ahead of municipal elections. Condemning Revanth Reddy’s call to destroy the BRS’s flagposts, he warned that any such attempts will attract people’s wrath.