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Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced a probe by the state Crime Investigation Department (CID) into all mining-related irregularities starting from June 2, 2014, the day the state was formed.
The announcement followed prolonged arguments between members of the ruling Congress and the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), who traded allegations of irregularities by mining companies against each other in the Assembly on Saturday, March 28.
CM Revanth ordered the probe after BRS leader T Harish Rao and others demanded an inquiry against the firm Raghava Constructions, while alleging that it was linked to Revenue and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. The opposition demanded an inquiry by a House Committee or a judicial probe against the firm, alleging that it had violated environmental and mining regulations while carrying out stone-crushing work.
Amid heated arguments and sloganeering over the allegations, CM Revanth announced a wider probe, while naming several firms allegedly linked to BRS leaders involved in sand mining and other such activity, such as Shwetha Granites, Midwest Granite, Sirisha Granites, etc.
Revanth said that the CID would investigate illegal mining activities by these firms as well as Raghava Constructions, and the findings would be tabled in the next Assembly session.
Raghava Constructions is owned by Ponguleti Harsha Reddy, son of Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy.
CM Revanth also moved a resolution to take over the Hyderabad Metro Rail Phase-I network from L&T. The existing Phase-I network of the Hyderabad Metro spans a total of 69 km. The state government has submitted proposals for the expansion of Phase-II(A) (76.4 km) and Phase-II(B) (86.1 km) to the Union government.
“While Phase-I metro rail is currently under private management, the government has taken into consideration the technical, legal, and operational challenges involved in undertaking Phase-II through a joint venture by the state and Union governments. To address the issues raised by the Union government, the House hereby approves the state government's decision to take over the Metro Phase-I network from L&T,” an official statement said.