Telangana adds another Special Enquiry Team to probe Dharani and Bhu Bharathi

The Telangana government has constituted a Special Enquiry Team to investigate alleged irregularities in the Dharani and Bhu Bharathi platforms, adding to several ongoing probes into decisions of the previous BRS government, many of which are yet to reach their conclusion

Hyderabad: With the Telangana Cabinet recently deciding to constitute a Special Enquiry Team (SET) to probe alleged irregularities in the Dharani and Bhu Bharathi platforms, the Revanth Reddy government has added yet another investigation to an already expanding list of probes.

While including Bhu Bharati appears intended to pre-empt allegations of a one-sided political exercise, the latest decision also fits a broader pattern of commissions, Special Investigation Teams (SITs), vigilance inquiries and anti-corruption probes, with no tangible outcome.

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The SET will examine the entire lifecycle of the land management system, from Dharani’s tendering process in 2020 to the present-day Bhu Bharathi portal, following forensic audits and pilot studies in Siddipet and Medak districts.

Since December 2023, the Congress government has ordered or pursued investigations into nearly every major flagship initiative of the previous BRS regime. These include the judicial inquiry headed by Justice PC Ghose into the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, the ACB probe into the Formula-E race case, the SIT investigation into the phone-tapping case, inquiries into power purchases, alleged irregularities in the sheep distribution and fish seed distribution schemes, land transactions, mining issues and several other decisions taken during the previous government.

However, despite nearly three years of investigations, the outcomes have remained limited. Most cases continue to be at various stages of investigation, forensic examination or litigation, with few reaching finality or resulting in convictions.

Even the Justice PC Ghose Commission, projected as the government’s flagship inquiry into the Kaleshwaram project, has faced legal scrutiny. The Telangana High Court raised questions over aspects of the Commission’s functioning and report, including issues relating to procedure and the manner in which adverse findings were recorded against individuals, resulting in further legal proceedings and delaying any final closure to the issue.

Similarly, the Formula-E case remains before the courts, while proceedings in the phone-tapping case continue. Investigations into power purchases, sheep distribution, fisheries schemes and other alleged irregularities have also yet to culminate in definitive findings.

The Congress maintained that these inquiries are essential to establish accountability and recover public money. However, the BRS argued that the government has increasingly relied on investigations as a political strategy to keep the previous regime under sustained attack rather than focusing on governance.

The timing of the latest SET is politically significant. It came amid growing criticism over drought conditions, irrigation and drinking water crisis, power shortages, coal availability, unemployment, farmers’ distress and delays in implementing key poll promises. The Opposition has repeatedly accused the government of responding to these challenges with fresh accusations and investigations against the previous government instead of focusing on policy interventions and addressing people’s issues.