Harish Rao exposes Rs 500-crore irregularities in Singareni tenders, seeks Central probe

Former Minister and senior BRS leader T Harish Rao mounted fresh allegations of large-scale irregularities in Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) projects, involving over Rs 500 crore. He wrote to Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy seeking cancellation of the tenders and a comprehensive probe into the irregularities.

In his letter to the Union Minister, Harish Rao urged Kishan Reddy to order an independent inquiry and cancel all tenders issued with restrictive and manipulated clauses. He said only a court-monitored or central probe would bring out the truth behind what he termed a multi-crore scam.

Even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) continued questioning BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Friday, Harish Rao revealed how the Congress leaders in the government turned Singareni tenders into a financial pipeline benefiting Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s brother-in-law, Srujan Reddy. He



said detailed evidence has been submitted in his letter to the Union Minister and demanded a judicial or central agency investigation.

In his key allegation related to a 107-MW solar power project at Ramagundam, Harish Rao said separate installations were bundled into a single tender, allegedly restricting competition and sidelining MSMEs. Conditions such as mandatory site visit certificates were inserted to favour a particular firm. While national benchmarks peg solar project costs at around Rs 3.5 crore per MW, he said Singareni agreed to pay Rs 5.04 crore per MW, leading to an excess burden of about Rs 200 crore.

According to Harish Rao, six OB contracts issued after the Congress government assumed office also carried similar tender conditions and should be scrapped. He said further details about alleged irregularities in a Singareni thermal power project at Jaipur will be revealed soon.