BJP alleges huge corruption in the engineering wing of TTD

BJP alleges huge corruption in the engineering wing of TTD

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has kicked off a controversy by alleging large-scale corruption in the engineering wing of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), in the garb of ‘reverse tendering’, as promoted and popularised by the outgoing YSR Congress Party government.

The party leader P. Naveen Kumar Reddy cited the example of Govindaraja choultries situated behind the Tirupati railway station, which he said was hurriedly demolished. “The huge complex was brought down in a hurry, only to be reconstructed at a huge cost of ₹600 crore, involving commissions for the political intermediaries and officials,” he alleged at a media conference here on Sunday.

The TTD engineering wing’s annual budget used to be ₹150 crore in the past, which had been hiked to a whopping ₹1,500 crore, Mr. Naveen alleged, adding that he would write to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) on the issue.

He also suspected foul play in the award of tenders worth ₹200 crore for renovation of SVIMS super specialty hospital and demanded CID inquiry into the issue. “After tenders are called for, the authorities insist on reverse tendering, which is a proxy to demand their ‘cut’ from the final figure,” he alleged.

“Every resident of Tirupati should join the fight to safeguard Lord Venkateswara’s funds and resist any attempt by political leaders to swindle funds from the TTD exchequer,” he said.