IRB has to shell down 25% of bid amount, not 10: Revanth

Hyderabad: Making public a purported draft concession agreement signed between HGCL (Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited) and IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy said the company had to pay the agreed 25 per cent of the ₹7,388-crore bid amount for the ORR by Friday.

According to him, the request for proposal (RFP) for the deal said: “Pay to the Authority within “30” (thirty) days of date of execution of Agreement, or any extended date agreed to by the Authority not exceeding 120 days, 25 per cent of the Concession Fee (equivalent to 25% of its financial bid quote) of an amount of Rs. (hereinafter referred to as “Initial Concession Fee Amount”) by way of a demand draft drawn on a Scheduled Commercial bank in India in favour of the Authority, and payable at Hyderabad (sic).”

“We had wrongly pegged that IRB Infra had to pay 10 per cent of the amount even as we sought information under the RTI. Having failed to pay the amount they have violated the agreement,” Reddy said.

“If there has been a change in norms, then that has to be made public. If the norms have been changed then this is a much bigger scam than the ₹100 crore Delhi liquor scam,” he said.

“This is what BJP MLA Raghunandan Rao spoke about. Why are (Union minister) G. Kishan Reddy and (state BJP president) Bandi Sanjay not writing to the Centre on this? Why are the ED, CBI and I-T department not being involved,” the Congress leader asked.

“I demand that the minister concerned, K.T. Rama Rao, should speak up. At least, the special chief secretary Arvind Kumar should talk,” the TPCC chief said and added that they would approach the court against the official after the vacation.

Responding to media queries on the reported comment by a Telangana-based national leader that the BJP would only manage third position in the state as leaders from the Congress have stopped joining after the Karnataka election results, Reddy replied, “I have been saying that the BRS and the BJP are the same. The BRS tried to help the BJP by encouraging JD(S) in Karnataka. They want to weaken the Congress. The media and the people should understand this. Congress is in an upswing after the results.”

Those who want to defeat the BRS should come back to the Congress, he said, and called on AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi to stand by the party and not to facilitate minority votes to the BRS. Those fighting for civil liberties should stand by the Congress party akin to those in Karnataka.

On a comment by finance minister T. Harish Rao that the Congress did not have candidates in many seats, and that Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu not having a proper understanding of the situation in Telangana, Reddy said, “If he understands the situation in the state, better he should go to Osmania and Kakatiya universities sans police protection and chat with the students.”

On the reported comments that there is no unemployment in the state, Reddy said, “When degree holders were asked to enlist online, 30 lakh youth enrolled themselves. How many applications did you get for the Group 1 posts? The Biswal Committee appointed by them said there are 1,91,738 vacancies. Can they deny that?”