Congress swindled sand Income & leveling baseless charges: KTR

Mining & Industries Minister K T Rama Rao today ridiculed the Congress for making false allegations of corruption and irregularities in sand mining. KTR took to twitter and reacted strongly on the baseless charges by the Opposition Congress on sand mining and leases.

KTR was surprised over the Congress leaders talking ethics and seeking steps against Sand Mafia. Condemning the allegations as baseless and mischievous, he said the Congress leaders had pocketed the huge sand revenue instead of adding to the State exchequer. The minister also compared the Congress leadership with a proverb “Ulta Chor Kotwal Ko Dante”. The Congress leaders, during their regime in united Andhra Pradesh State had swallowed income of sand mining and indulged in corrupt practices, he alleged.

KTR accused the previous Congress regime of utterly failing to get more income from the sand mining activities and instead pocketed the funds. The minister claimed that the TRS Government has taken stringent measures at all levels against the sand mining irregularities and secured an income of Rs 400 crore a year. “In four years, we have realized a total of Rs 1609 crore through sand mining activity across the State”. The minister slammed the previous government for getting a meagre Rs 4 crore and a total of Rs 39 crore from 2004 to 2014, he said and sought to know where these funds have gone during the Congress regime. When the facts are that the Congress have swindled the money, they are now in the Opposition and making wild allegations of corruption against the present government, he fumed.

KTR said the Congress was intentionally resorting to make false allegations of corruption and irregularities in the sand mining in the State. He also claimed that the effective coordination from the State to district level yielded positive results. He attributed the efficiency and coordination to the steep rise of 100 times revenue through sand. (NSS)