December 18, 2024e-Paper
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December 18, 2024e-Paper
Published – December 18, 2024 07:09 pm IST – HYDERABAD
A charge on bribes being taken for the release of overseas scholarships made by the Opposition benches created a furore in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
BRS member K.P. Vivekanand has alleged that the government had delayed release of funds for the overseas scholarship scheme and the applications for the current year had not been cleared as yet. “It is reported that officials concerned are seeking 10% of the amount as bribe to release the scholarship amount,” he alleged during the Question Hour in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday.
He was responding to a reply of Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka that the government had cleared ₹ 140.74 crore of the ₹ 244 crore dues left by the previous BRS government and a balance of ₹ 104 crore was yet to be cleared. The government had time upto March for clearing the balance dues, she said.
The BRS member, however, alleged that bribes were being asked for clearing the pending dues leading to loud protests from the Treasury Benches. Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu, who intervened, said that no allegations of defamatory or incriminatory nature should be made in the House without the permission of the Speaker. This was according to the rules framed by the previous BRS government for the conduct of proceedings, he said asking Mr. Vivekanand to withdraw his remarks.
Mr. Vivekanand, however, stood his ground claiming that bribes were indeed being asked to clear the dues and this was causing inconvenience to the SC, ST, BC, Minority and economically backward students of other castes who were stranded abroad. Enraged by the member’s stand, Mr. Sridhar Babu said the government was prepared for an elaborate debate on the “commission culture” during the previous regime.
Ms. Seethakka said the problem of dues arose due to the negligence of the previous government and the present Congress government had taken up verification of certificates and other formalities for releasing the pending amounts.
To a query on conversion of Karimnagar-Kamareddy-Yellareddy highway into a national highway, Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy alleged that the previous government focussed only on Kaleshwaram project, as a result of which major roads were severely damaged. He pointed out to the works on Uppal-Ghatkesar expressway which were progressing at a snail’s pace from the past six-and-half years. “The roads leading to the farm house were, however, turned into expressways,” he alleged.
The Congress government on its part had focussed on developing the roads and it was decided to complete the detailed project report of the six-laning of Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway soon. The land acquisition process for the proposed Regional Ring Road would also be completed by March. “Unlike the BRS government which leased out toll collection on the outer ring road at throwaway prices, we are committed to develop the road network,” he said.
Published – December 18, 2024 07:09 pm IST
Telangana / state politics
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