Row over Yellampally project takes a new twist

Govt seeks criminal action against oppn MLAs for faking documents

The state government has decided to initiate criminal proceedings against some MLAs belonging to the opposition Telugu Desam Party for allegedly producing 'forged documents' on the Rs1,725-crore Yellampally irrigation project controversy during the annual budget session of the state legislative assembly "with a mischievous intention to defame the government".

In his letter to the state director general of police (DGP), C V S K Sharma, principal secretary, irrigation & command area development (I&CAD) department, alleged that three of the 35-page documents submitted to the Assembly speaker by the TDP members in an effort to prove that internal benchmark (IBM) of the project estimates was revised at a later date to siphon off over Rs 400 crore, were fabricated by the legislators.

"The TDP members tried to mislead the entire state by producing fabricated papers and stalled the Assembly proceedings with a mischievous intention to defame the government. As the members who have framed the LAQ(legislative Assembly question) attempted to cause damage to the reputation of the government, suitable action may be taken against them," Sharma said in his letter to the DGP yesterday.

It may be recalled that almost the entire budget session, which ended on March 28, was marred by the controversy over the alleged irregularities regarding the revised estimates of the Yellampally project (Sripada Sagar Project stage-II). A pandemonium prevailed in the House with walkouts and adjournments in the face of opposition attacks led by TDP.

However, the controversy ended in a sensational admission by TDP leader and former chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu in the Assembly at the fag end of the session that his party had intentionally mentioned a wrong figure in their listed question on the issue as a ruse to extract the correct data from the government.

During the debate, TDP alleged that IBM was replaced at the behest of the chief engineer and some people in the government with an intention to pocket over Rs 400 crore via backdoor.

The government's decision to seek criminal action against the MLAs was prompted by Chandrababu Naidu's personal attack on chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. Naidu accused the chief minister of receiving 10 per cent commission from irrigation works a couple of days back, according to sources.