Rampant corruption in Telangana administration, says Forum for Good Governance

In a letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy said there was no fear of punishment in employees

HYDERABAD: After contractors, former sarpanches, realtors, and others, and now not-for-profit organisation Forum for Good Governance has also raised concerns over rampant corruption in the State administration.

The common man has to pay bribes for every work for which he or she is otherwise eligible as a right. Revenue, municipality, police, commercial tax, and excise departments were high on the list, FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy said.

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In a letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the FGG president said there was no fear of punishment in employees.

Lapses in administration and laxity in taking action on the inquiry reports of Vigilance and ACB in the Secretariat were encouraging corruption, he said, adding that despite serious ACB and vigilance cases pending, a few officials were getting promotions.

Referring to the case of G Srinivas (DCTO) Malkajgiri, who was booked by the ACB in 2013, he said the case was still pending before the Special Judge ACB cases.

Srinivas approached the High Court for his promotion without referring to the criminal case pending in ACB Court. The Judge passed an interim order to consider his case for the post of Assistant Commissioner without any reference to the criminal case pending against him, the FGG president said.

Likewise, a criminal case was registered by the ACB against D Srinivas Reddy, Deputy Commercial Tax Officer. For the last seven years, the inquiry was not completed and no charge sheet was filed. Srinivas Reddy approached the High Court for his promotion without referring to the case.

The judge passed an interim order to consider his case for promotion to the post of CTO, he explained. In another case, K Geeta, wife of M Srinivas Reddy, Commercial Tax Officer, had indulged in serious irregularities for which charges were served in 2017. The case had not been finalised.

Meanwhile, she approached the High Court for promotion to the post of Joint Commissioner of Commercial Taxes without referring to the pending disciplinary proceedings against her, he said.

There were many such cases where officials accused in serious criminal cases were getting plum postings and promotions.

The FGG requested the Chief Minister to order an inquiry into the lapses in the mentioned cases and amend the rules not to give postings or promotions to officials involved in criminal cases, Padmanabha Reddy said.