The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Cancel Thotapally project tenders, says Telugu Desam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Cancel Thotapally project tenders, says Telugu Desam

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, APRIL 11. The Telugu Desam Party has demanded cancellation of tenders for Thotapally project in the light of the Government's admission at the public debate on Sunday that the selection mode was changed at the last moment and that a `human error' had crept into opening of tenders.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, TDP leaders -- M.V. Mysoora Reddy, K. Vidyadhara Rao and S. Chandramohan Reddy -- said it was strange a Government that swore by transparency should take shelter under antiquated Official Secrets Act to deny showing of files. It was clear that the Government had lot of things to hide, they added, demanding judicial inquiry.

Dismissal sought

They alleged that the Government was not keen on showing files, as a letter was included post-haste to favour and justify the selection of one of the two competing companies. They held the Irrigation Advisor, P. Sitapathi Rao, responsible for this action and alleged that he had vested interest in promoting the company. Seeking his dismissal, they accused him of misbehaving with S. Maruthi, TDP MLA and former Chief Engineer, just because he had posed questions inconvenient to the Government.

They expressed surprise that Mr. Sitapathi Rao, who was basically a consultant to the National Academy of Construction, should respond to the queries raised by experts instead of Government officials. They demanded that the pre-qualification tender of the selected company be made public.

At a separate press conference, another group of TDP leaders -- N. Janardhan Reddy, S. Venugopalachary and P. Chandrasekhar -- alleged that the Government was trying to bail out the Chief Minister's relative, S.V. Subba Reddy, promoter of Swarna Hydel Project on the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme.

As part of the plan, Mr. Subba Reddy started saying that he had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with a Malaysian company for setting up the project.

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