Telangana minister's aide linked to rice scam controversy in Kollapur constituency

MAHABUBNAGAR: Close on the heels of suspension of the personal assistant of Minister Dhanasari Seethakka in sand scam, PA of another Telangana minister from Mahabubnagar district is embroiled in a controversy on allegations of involvement in a rice scam.

The crux of the case is that a miller moved huge quantities of CMR rice outside Wanaparthy district illegally and stored elsewhere. But as ill-luck would have it, another gang, which learned about the same, stole the same and sold it away.

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The minister’s followers were caught while trying to illegally transport the CMR rice that was stored elsewhere in an unauthorized manner by the brother of a district officer.

The perpetrators, believed to be followers of the minister, carried out the operation despite recent warnings issued by the minister himself during review meetings in Gadwal and Wanaparthy districts.

The minister warned of a zero-tolerance approach towards rice millers engaged in unlawful activities and insisted on swift action against the scammers.

What made the case even more interesting is that the epicenter of the illegal activity is the native constituency of the minister concerned. The plan was to shift the stocks with the help of some hamalis belonging to Pedakarpamula village of Pedda Kothhapalli mandal in Kollapur Assembly constituency.

It is suspected that at least 20,000 sacks might have already been moved via trucks. Some locals alerted the police when some more bags were being loaded into a truck from the warehouse on Friday night. When the police questioned them, some of those who were loading the bags fled the scene. The police shifted the truck, loaded with rice bags, and another four-wheeler to Chinnambavi police station for further investigation.

The actual story began unfolding at this point in time with some influential people belonging to the Congress mounting pressure on the police to let off the truck and stocks. Wanaparthy DSP and Inspector reportedly stepped into the scene and tried to hush up the matter along with Civil Supplies officials who should have acted strictly when the stolen property was CMR rice.

A rice mill near Srirangapur mandal center belonged to the brother of a district officer who used to work there. It’s that officer who had the quota of CMR allotted to the mills connected to him and set the stage for a massive scam.

There are allegations that hundreds of tons of CMR grain was allocated to his brother's rice mill by the officer. He eventually left the place on transfer. It is suspected that the allotted quantities were stealthily stored in Srirangapur and two other places.

At least one lakh bags of grain was hidden by taking a warehouse on lease in Pedda Dagada village of Chinnambavi mandal in Kollapur constituency.

AFter the Congress came to power, the minister’s followers secured the details of these hidden rice bags, as the officials were conducting an investigation into the CMR grain.

Bases on the information, the minister’s followers drew up a big plan and began shifting the bags in a phased manner on the sly during nights, by breaking open the doors of the warehouse

The one lakh bags of grain would be wroth of several crores. The locals foiled the attempt of these people to shift the bags bu alerting the police.

Meanwhile the minister’s PA and others allegedly joined hands to shift the bags to make money and also mount pressure on the police to hush up the case. Fromer MLA of the BRS Beeram Harshavardhan Reddy demanded an inquiry and action against the accused.