Telangana Chief Minister Initiates SIT Investigation into ORR Toll Contract
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Hyderabad, Dec 19 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Telangana, A. Revanth Reddy, declared on Thursday that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will investigate purported irregularities in the toll tenders for the Outer Ring Road (ORR) that took place during the former BRS government.
This announcement was made in the State Legislative Assembly following a request from BRS MLA and ex-minister T. Harish Rao.
The Chief Minister indicated that the matter would be reviewed in the upcoming Cabinet meeting to establish a proper procedure.
The toll contract, covering the 158-km stretch of ORR surrounding the city, was awarded for a duration of 30 years in May 2023 by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA).
The Toll-Operate-Transfer (TOT) contract was granted to IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited.
Valued at Rs 7,380 crore, the Congress party has claimed that this amount falls significantly short of the projected revenue of Rs. 18,000 crore for the same period.
The Chief Minister pointed out that the contract was awarded just prior to the Assembly elections.
Earlier in February, he reprimanded HMDA officials for finalizing the tenders at a low price, which led to a considerable revenue loss for the state.
He questioned the rationale behind calling for tenders without establishing a minimum rate.
Following this, the Chief Minister demanded a comprehensive investigation into the entire situation, including the individuals and organizations involved in the tender process.
The then HMDA Joint Commissioner Amrapali was instructed to provide detailed information regarding the irregularities in the tenders, the procedures adhered to, and the file management during the tendering process.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that the overall revenue generated from the ORR was Rs 600 crore annually before the toll tenders were issued.
It was primarily estimated that the government faced a loss of Rs 15,000 crore due to the tendering process employed by the HMDA.
When this matter arose in the Assembly on Thursday, the Chief Minister confirmed the initiation of the SIT probe.
Revanth Reddy asserted that it was due to Congress's efforts that Hyderabad attained its status as an international city.
"The city has achieved this status because of drinking water supply from Krishna and Godavari rivers, IRR, international airport, Metro Rail, IT and pharma companies, good law and order situation, and communal harmony," he stated.
The Chief Minister emphasized that the state's revenues increased thanks to the ORR and the new international airport.
He reiterated that the decisions made by the previous Congress government under YSR transformed Hyderabad and augmented the state’s revenues.
