July 23, 2025e-Paper
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July 23, 2025e-Paper
Published – July 23, 2025 07:37 pm IST – HYDERABAD
The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) has urged Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to order a Vigilance & Enforcement (V&E) inquiry into the alleged misuse of Special Development Funds (SDF) released for taking up developmental works in Assembly constituencies.
FGG president M. Padmanabha Reddy said that the government sanctioned ₹1,190 crore at ₹10 crore for each Assembly constituency in 2023-24.
The amount was released to District Collectors for taking up developmental works with the approval of the District In-Charge Minister. The SDF funds were meant to be spent on education infrastructure (₹2 crore), drinking water (₹1 crore), maintenance of collectorates or government offices (₹50 lakh) and balance ₹6.5 crore for other developmental works.
However, the fund was not being implemented as per the guidelines leading to misuse and wastage of taxpayers’ money. Citing examples in a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, he said that Devarakonda MLA proposed an amount of ₹1.14 crore for his office-cum-residence when there was no provision for renovation of MLA’s residence. “It is not clear how the district in-charge Minister approved such works. There are many similar cases in other districts also,” Mr. Padmanabha Reddy said.
He said that tenders ought to be called for works more than ₹5 lakh in line with the rules, but executing agencies were splitting the works into bits of ₹5 lakh each and allotting them on nomination basis.
The Congress Assembly constituency in-charges were proposing works bypassing the MLAs and the district in-charge Minister was sanctioning them. For instance, the sitting MLA was ignored in the Karimnagar Assembly constituency and proposals were received from the Congress in-charge, which were subsequently approved.
There were many villages in Karimnagar Assembly constituency where infrastructure for schools and drainage facility were required, but sanction was made for 50 high mast lights in villages at a cost of ₹60 lakh and open gym in 25 villages at a cost of ₹1.25 crore. “No tenders were invited and works were allotted on a nomination basis,” he lamented.
In view of these, he wanted the government to order an inquiry and authorise the Collector to approve the works.
Published – July 23, 2025 07:37 pm IST
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