House committee probe panel loses steam

Hyderabad: The House Committee probe into irregularities in Filmnagar, Jubilee Hills and other cooperative housing societies has been put on the backburner. Set up in November 2014, the panel, headed by A. Ramesh, has little to show except holding of three sittings and a field visit to Filmnagar and Jubilee Hills cooperative housing societies last year where it found grave irregularities. Members have no clue about the next meeting and the fate of the panel probing the key cooperative societies.

A series of byelections, GHMC elections and other reasons besides pressure from bigwigs contributed to the delay in panel meets, it is learnt. “The House committee has to meet and take serious action against the wrong-doers in various housing societies. We found grave irregularities in Filmnagar and Jubilee Hills cooperative societies during our first visit itself. We asked officials to issue notices to erring members, but I haven’t seen any action worth mentioning,” said Congress MLC and member of the House committee P. Sudhakar Reddy.

Apart from Mr Ramesh and Mr Sudhakar Reddy, the other members of the panel are Karne Prabhakar, Guvvala Balraju (TRS), T. Jeevan Reddy (Congress), M. Gopinath (TD) and Ahmed Balala (MIM). Shockingly, Dr Kiranmayee, additional registrar of cooperative societies, who unearthed the irregularities was transferred to Warangal on some charges. Dr Kiranmayee challenged her transfer in the tribunal and a few days ago, the tribunal took objection to punishment posting and discarded the GO. She went on leave for nearly 10 months and has now been posted as managing director of the Telangana Cooperative Union in Hyderabad.

“I already told the panel chairman to conduct the meeting seriously or scrap the panel. What is the point in having a panel without taking any action? Despite instructions, no notice has been served to erring society members,” Mr Sudhakar Reddy said. While Mr Ramesh did not take calls, the MLC said he was told that a meeting would be convened soon. Some panel members said that the Chief Minister taking the irregularities in Filmnagar coop housing society casually has dampened the spirits of members.

“Prima facie, there are irregularities in Jubilee Hills and Filmnagar societies which have come up on government allotted lands. The government allotted 1,394 acres to the Jubilee Hills coop housing society at Rs 200 per acre for housing but there are petrol pumps, guesthouses and commercial complexes on the land,” Mr Sudhakar Reddy said.