CID sleuths grill former APSFL officials in AP Fibernet ‘scam’
The Hindu
Irregularities in tenders worth ₹321 crore alleged
Former member of the governing council, e-Governance Authority, Vemuri Hari Krishna Prasad and former vice-chairman and managing director of Infrastructure Corporation of AP (INCAP) K. Sambasiva Rao, appeared before CID sleuths here on Tuesday.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) officials, who registered a case on 16 persons for the alleged irregularities in AP Fibernet on September 9 served notices to the former officials of Andhra Pradesh State Fibernet Limited (APSFL) asking them to appear before the investigation officers.
Mr. Hari Krishna Prasad, who appeared before the CID officials, said the investigation officers did not question him. He said that the allegations were false.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.