The YSRCP claims that the Bill will put an end to corruption and bring transparency to government projects. According to the Bill, any infrastructure project valued at Rs 100 crore and above, even if it is fragmented, would be subject to preview by a High Court judge. The Chief Justice of the High Court of Andhra Pradesh would appoint the judge, who can be either sitting or a retired HC judge, to act as head of the commission. A panel will also be constituted to assist the judge.
The judge then would place the tender in public domain and seek opinion from the people. He would then scrutinize the tender papers and offer his final decision. The entire process is set to take 15 days, after which the judge will reportedly submit his suggestions to the government. The government is to provide the required support to the judge for this, according to the Deccan Chronicle.
The Bill was initiated by Minister for Industries and Commerce Mekapati Gowtham Reddy.
According to New Indian Express, AP Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy said while speaking in the Assembly, “Like never before to check corruption and promote transparency in the bidding process of infrastructure projects, a first step has been taken today.”
Taking a swipe at Chandrababu Naidu, he said, "The Bill will help get rid of the dubious distinction of AP being number one in corruption in the country and set an example for other States to replicate it.”
Alleging corruption by the previous Naidu-led government, he claimed that the building which houses the MLAs reek of corruption. Jagan claimed that the construction cost of the building was Rs 10,000 per square-foot, which showed the extend of corruption that took place in the previous government.
The Bill has identified 25 sectors, including Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), that could be considered by the judicial preview.
Finance Minister Bugganna Rajendranath said that such that the Bill was a ‘necessity’ as the previous government had "institutionalized corruption", particularly in the capital region by adopting arbitrary methods in bidding process, he alleged