BRS says ready for CBI probe on ORR contract

HYDERABAD: The BRS on Wednesday said that it was ready for a CBI investigation into awarding the Nehru ORR contract and rejected Union minister G. Kishan Reddy’s contention that there were irregularities in the manner in which the contract was awarded.

Ruling party MLAs Devireddy Sudheer Reddy and K.P. Vivekanand told reporters that the bidding process was as per the central government rules and the contract was awarded to the company that quoted the best amount.

“There were four companies that made it to the final list of bidders and the contract was awarded to the company that quoted the highest amount,” Sudheer Reddy said.

The company that received the Nehru ORR contract also has a similar operation in Maharashtra, he said, adding that it was now time for Kishan Reddy to face the consequences of a CBI probe into awarding of the contract.

Sudheer Reddy ridiculed that BJP leaders, who refused to accept the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into dealings by the Adani Group, were seeking a CBI probe into the ORR contract.

They said that their party was ready for such a probe, and called on BJP leaders, as well as those from the Congress party, to stop “levelling baseless allegations against the state government.”

Vivekanand said the entire effort of the BJP and the Congress are deliberate attempts to target IT minister K.T. Rama Rao as they are unable to digest the international recognition that Hyderabad is receiving under his leadership.

“It does not matter what happens in Telangana state, the two parties have made it their only business to try and blame Rama Rao,” Vivekanand said.

He said that it now appears that both parties will find themselves in hot waters over their allegations with regard to the ORR contract.