Sripada Sagar controversy engineered by TDP: Cong

Hyderabad, Mar 9 (UNI) The Congress today alleged the controversy over the estimates of the 'Sripada Sagar Project' was 'engineered by the opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP), based on a letter allegedly written by a Superintending Engineer (SE) of the project working in Mancherial.

Talking to newpersons at the Congress Legislature party (CLP) office in the Assembly premises, party's Chief Whip N Kiran Kumar Reddy, whip S Udaya Bhanu and MLA Dr D Sridhar Babu said the engineer concerned was facing several charges and was shifted from the project circle to a non-focal area due to serious irregularities.

The Congress leaders said it was the letter he wrote to the Principal Secretary of his department on May 5, 2005 which was being produced by the Telugu Desam leaders as proof of corruption.

They said while the TDP was quoting one particular paragraph in which the SE said that Internal Bench Marking (IBM) value was hiked under the instructions from higher officials, they were ignoring the second sentence of the letter which said, ''No pressures are received from higher officers to this office. The tender has been finalised duly, strictly following the terms and conditions of tenders under EPC''.

The contradictory statement of the officer in the same letter show he was inconsistent, they added.

The Congress leaders said there was approval only for Rs1757.18 crore and not for Rs 1366 crore. The document produced by the TDP leader, T Devender Goud, did not contain signature of the Chief Engineer (CE) or other officials, they added.

''Moreover, the project proposal for Rs 1366 crore was prepared by the executive engineer for 1.36 lakh acres. The SE did not sign on this. The CE too did not sign as the project had to be upgraded.

On March 12, 2005, the SE prepared an estimate for Rs 1757.18 crore to cater to the needs of two lakh acres. The SE was neither aware of the estimate of Rs1366 crore during this time nor at any time earlier, they added.

They alleged the TDP was continuously waging a battle against ''Jala Yagnam,'' the massive irrigation initiative of the Congress government and was constantly trying to block irrigation projects, as it was afraid of its own political future.

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