Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Saturday alleged that the Congress govt is extending undue favours to a company in the tender process for the Kodangal-Narayanpet-Makthal lift irrigation scheme. He also raised questions over the cost escalation of the proposed project.In a social media post, he said that the project, which was originally estimated at around ₹1,450 crore in 2014, has now reached ₹6,825 crore. He alleged that the cost had increased nearly fivefold despite the project not delivering a single drop of water to beneficiaries so far.The BRS leader accused the state govt of inflating project estimates and manipulating tender procedures to favour select companies. He alleged that transparency was lacking in the bidding process and that contracts were being structured in a way that ensured benefits for preferred firms.KTR alleged that the Revanth Reddy-led govt had conducted the tendering process in a manner that benefited one company. He claimed that while multiple firms participated in the bidding process, the remaining companies were merely nominal contenders, resulting in only one company ultimately emerging as the successful bidder.Criticising the govt’s priorities, KTR said that while people across Telangana were facing drinking water shortages and relying on tanker supplies, public resources were being diverted through irrigation projects. He alleged that instead of addressing the immediate needs of citizens, the state govt was focusing on awarding high-value contracts through projects with significantly increased costs.KTR further charged the Congress govt with indulging in large-scale misuse of public funds under the guise of development projects. Taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he remarked that existing terms such as “crony capitalism,” “open loot,” and “kleptocracy” were insufficient to describe the alleged irregularities taking place in Telangana.
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