BRS Alleges Rs 8,000 Cr Scam In HAM Road Projects

BRS MLA and former minister Vemula Prashanth Reddy today accused the Congress government of planning a Rs 8,000-crore scam under the guise of road development projects implemented through the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Reddy alleged large-scale corruption in the State, and claimed that Cabinet ministers were involved in bribery and favouritism in awarding tenders. He cited instances of ministerial interference in industrial dealings and officers' transfers related to project approvals.

Referring specifically to the government's road development plan, he said that in the first phase of the HAM project, worth Rs 27,000 crore, nearly Rs 8,000 crore could be siphoned off.

He referred to government orders issued on October 16 and 22 inviting tenders for over 13,000 km of roads under the Roads & Buildings and Panchayat Raj departments, with a total cost exceeding Rs 17,000 crore.

Describing specific irregularities, Reddy said that the R&B Department's GO No 477 sanctioned Rs 721 crore to upgrade 409 km of single-lane roads to double lanes - at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore per km, significantly higher than standard estimates. He alleged that approximately 85% of the project estimates under the HAM model had been inflated.