Minister batted for DTCP Raghu's posting: Reports

Vijayawada: The Municipal Administration and Urban Development department is facing severe allegations as its HoDs are being caught by the ACB and branded as corruption emperors.

AP town and country planning director Mr G.V. Raghu and public Health engineer-in-chief Mr Pandu Ranga Rao have created new history in corruption. Ministers are facing criticism for posting corrupt officials as HoDs and are alleged of corruption in postings. It is learnt that a minister close to the boss and another minister from Visakhapatnam had played crucial role in these two postings.

A senior IAS officer said this is entirely due to corrupt practices of few ministers in postings and it is high time for the Chief Minister to take action on these ministers in the first place along with officials. 

Roads and Buildings engineer-in-chief Ganga-dharam, edu-cation infrastructure development chief engineer B. Jagadeeswara Reddy, industries additional director B. Suresh, Gajuwaka sub registrar D. Venkaiah Naidu, GAD joint secretary Venkata Ranga Saikumar, excise additional commissioner K.L. Bhaskar, transport officials Hyma Rao and many others have been identified as officers who indulged in high corruption practices and possess hundreds of crores of disproportionate assets.

But the raids carried out on DTCP G.V. Raghu on Monday and the earlier on Pamu Pandu Ranga Rao astonished the entire state. Everyone is expressing skepticism on giving postings to such corrupt officials. According ACB preliminary reports, Mr Raghu had Rs 500 crore of disproportionate assets while Mr Pandu Ranga Rao had Rs 1,000-crore assets.

An MA&UD senior official shared Mr G.V. Raghu will be retiring on this month-end, but still a minister planed to continue his services, at least as an adviser, and the same was intimated to Mr Raghu. But the ACB raids have changed the scenario.