Jupally defends complaint to Telangana CS against senior IAS officer Rizvi

Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao defended his complaint against IAS officer SAM Rizvi, accusing him of negligence and obstructing developmental work. He cited delays in liquor hologram tenders and a Rs 230 crore loss due to unextended leased lines.

Hyderabad: Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Thursday defended his complaint to the State government against senior IAS officer SAM Rizvi, alleging that the officer was negligent in his duties and was creating hurdles in developmental work.

The Minister alleged Rizvi had applied for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) after securing a job offer at AIG Hospitals with a monthly salary of Rs 10 lakh. He was also scouting for other offers in New Delhi before applying for VRS, Jupally said.

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Clarifying that he had lodged the complaint with Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao on October 11, and not on Wednesday as reported, Jupally said the media had wrongly projected that Rizvi applied for VRS following the complaint.

Speaking to reporters after the Cabinet meeting, the Minister said that as per the Constitution, a Minister is the head of a department, and officials under him were only supporting staff.

The work of fixing holograms on liquor bottles was awarded to an agency on a nomination basis by the previous government without floating tenders, he alleged.

After the Congress government assumed office, officials were instructed to identify the best technology, issue an Expression of Interest (EOI), and invite tenders. An expert committee was constituted to oversee the process, with Rizvi appointed as its Chairman.

“Even after 14 months since the committee was constituted, not a single meeting was held. Despite four to five instructions from me, there was no response,” Jupally said.

He said though the EOI was issued and 23 companies responded, no presentation had been made to the government even after four to five months. “Irked over the delay, I wrote to the Chief Secretary about Rizvi’s negligence of duties and the hurdles he was creating in the government’s work,” he said.

The Minister also alleged that leased lines for distilleries and liquor companies, which were to be extended as per rules, were not done, resulting in a loss of Rs 230 crore to the State government.

When questioned, Rizvi reportedly said the issue had been discussed in the previous Cabinet and should be placed before the current Cabinet. However, when asked to share the related files, they were not produced, Jupally alleged.

He also claimed that political opponents were indulging in mudslinging by levelling baseless allegations against the Chief Minister’s son-in-law and his own son.

“I have served as Minister under five Chief Ministers, and not once has any allegation been made against me. I will file a defamation suit against all these charges,” Jupally asserted.