3 men attempting to expose housing scam in Telangana booked for trespassing

Three men who were attempting to expose a 'housing scam' in Telangana’s Khammam district were booked by the district police on Friday. They were filming newly-constructed homes built for the poorer sections of society in Kamepally, Khammam. The video, which went viral, prompted the police to book the duo along with another man who shared it. 

Jatoth Rambabu and Boda Naresh of Harichandrapuram filmed the alleged poor quality of the construction works in the area. The houses are yet to be distributed to the public. 

The youths have shown parts of cement slabs are seen readily crumbling even as the flooring appears uneven and full of crater-like holes. 

Describing the quality of the slabs, one of them remarks, “This is Harichandrapuram. Fifty double bedroom houses were constructed. See the quality of the construction, how poor it is. We can see how they built it without even mixing cement with sand.”

The men shot the videos and posted them in a local WhatsApp group to highlight the shoddy work.

According to them, the buildings were constructed compromising quality at the cost of public money and the homes are in a dilapidated situation even before they have been distributed to eligible residents.

However, the videos soon went viral, attracting outrage against officials for compromising on standards. Along with the two men, another man, Madahava Reddy, was also booked for making the video viral. A case was registered by the Kamepally rural police on charges of trespassing and creating fear among people on the basis of a complaint filed by Housing Assistant Engineer (AE) Yusuf Ali.  

The contractor of the site is said to have carried out repair work, following a report in local media. 

Boda Naresh and Jatoth Rambabu said that they are being targeted for merely showing the poor quality of the construction even before they have been distributed to beneficiaries. 

Speaking to Velugu, a Telugu daily, they said, “We have recorded those videos with an intention to show the lack of quality in the construction of houses to officials and contractors. It is unfair to book us instead of the contractors. Despite having education, we are working as coolies. We don't have any relationship with the person who made the videos viral. Our families are scared as cases will ruin our careers. The local MLA should intervene in the matter.”

In addition to the allegations of compromising on quality in the house scheme, there have also been accusations of delays in the construction of houses. 

TNM has attempted to contact local officials and is awaiting a response.