Hyderabad: TPCC president and Congress MP A. Revanth Reddy on Wednesday approached the Telangana High Court, complaining that the HMDA and Hyderabad Growth Corridor Ltd were not providing information to his RTI application seeking details on the award of the Outer Ring Road toll on a 30-year contract to IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd.
Revanth Reddy’s petition will be heard by the High Court on Thursday.
The action comes after the HMDA approached the Civil Court against Revanth and a gag order was issued, prohibiting him from making comments on the issue, until August 3. He has now challenged this order in the High Court.
The project was awarded on a toll-operate-transfer (TOT) model for '7,380 crore, which, he alleged was a low value as the tender was awarded without disclosing the base price, i.e., the initial estimated concession value. The same remains unknown to date, Revanth submitted.
Revanth Reddy submitted that he filed the RTI application on May 1, seeking details related to the TOT. However, on May 23, the managing director of HGCL furnished partial information, he said. He also submitted that he was restrained by the police when he tried to meet the Principal Secretary on the issue.
On June 14, Revanth again filed an RTI application, seeking tender details, including reports prepared by transaction advisors, the decision of the council of ministers to keep the duration of the lease period to 30 years and total revenue earned in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
But, he is still awaiting a response to the application.
He said that besides not providing the information, the HMDA moved the Civil Court against him over his statements, comments and posts on the issue and sought an injunction order.
The Civil Court allowed the HMDA's petition and issued a gag order, restraining Revanth Reddy and his associates from “making/publishing any false, incorrect and defamatory/scandalous/libelous statements against HMDA” until August 3.
In his affidavit to the High Court, Revanth said that although there is the remedy of statutory appeal, he could not avail of the same as the posts of Chief State Information Officer and Information Officers have been vacant for several days, with little chance of the posts being filled in the next 45 days.
Further, he brought to the notice of the court that the office memorandum issued by the Union government in 2022, about the consolidated guidelines on official dealings among the administration, MPs and state legislatures, stating that this entitled him to promptly get the information from the government department concerned.
Revanth Reddy said that though the memorandum is in vogue, authorities of HGCL were not providing the information for his RTI application.
