Contractor Bills Scam: Senior IAS Officers Accused!

Criticism is being heard even from leaders of the ruling parties themselves that corruption in the Andhra Pradesh coalition government has reached its peak this time. Especially, TDP leaders are of the opinion that this issue is more prevalent at the top level. The conduct of some IAS officers, along with key leaders, is also creating a political stir in Andhra Pradesh. There is widespread talk in IAS circles that two IAS officers holding key positions in the government have earned as much as more than ₹300 crore within the last eighteen months alone. When asked whether the top leadership in the government is unaware of this matter, most people say that everything is happening with full knowledge. Government sources say that one of these IAS officers belongs to an extremely crucial department, while the other is an official attached to the CMO.

It is said by sources connected to this issue that within a few months of the government coming to power, both of them together collected a commission of six and a half percent on bill payments to contractors from Kadapa district, and that they followed the same practice in payments totaling ₹500 crore. However, there is widespread talk in IAS circles that initially ₹122 crore was paid, followed later by payments of nearly ₹360 crore. It is being said that even though there was a brief pause in the activities of the two IAS officers after this episode, the operation later resumed as usual. However, reliable sources revealed that after the initial phase in which the two IAS officers worked together, some key leaders also joined in later.

A senior IAS officer expressed shock, saying that if the two IAS officers earned such a huge amount from just one set of bill payments, it is hard to imagine to what level the collections would go if their earnings in other matters were calculated. After seeing the intensity of the bosses’ collections, would those working under them remain silent? They too entered the field and began the entire operation. As part of this, another officer working under an IAS officer in a key department also earned crores. Not only that, there is talk in official circles that he is now playing a key role in this entire affair.