Nizamabad: Vemula refutes allegations, says no double billing done for Bridge work

The Minister said the BJP MP was making false allegations as he lacked knowledge on how Central funds came to States

Nizamabad: Refuting the allegations of Nizamabad MP Dharmapuri Arvind that double billing was being done for the same project in his constituency Balkonda, Roads and Buildings Minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy said the BJP MP was making false and baseless allegations to defame the State government. He said the MP could probe the matter through the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI).

Arvind alleged that after drawing Rs.15 crore under RDC (Road Development Corporation) for the high-level bridge built on Velpur Peddavagu in Nizamabad district, funds were again taken through Special Assistance Fund.

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The Minister said the BJP MP was making false allegations as he lacked knowledge on how Central funds came to States. “There is no room for double billing. The funds did not go astray,” he said.

The Centre grants interest-free loans from the Special Assistance Fund for up to 50 years regardless of the funds coming from the States in the form of taxes, he said, adding that he wrote a letter to union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary for the details of the grants.

Under the SAF grants, Telangana was allocated Rs.5,221 crore in the last four years, out of which Nizamabad district got Rs.317.72 crore, he said, adding that with these funds, a total of 51 development works were undertaken in the district, of which 33 were taken up in Balkonda constituency alone.