YSRCP alleges ₹1,200-crore waste management scam, targets Minister Narayana
YSRCP leaders accuse MA&UD Minister Ponguru Narayana of involvement in a ₹1,200-crore waste management scam and seek answers on alleged irregularities.
The YSR Congress Party has levelled allegations of a ₹1,200-crore scam in solid waste management against Ponguru Narayana, the Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, and demanded that he explain the alleged irregularities.
Raising the matter at a media conference on Sunday, YSRCP Nellore district president Kakani Govardhan Reddy and MLC Parvathareddy Chandrasekhar Reddy posed 12 questions covering solid waste collection, legacy waste clearing, equipment procurement and the viability of treatment plants.
The two leaders questioned how official figures for garbage cleared had risen from 85 lakh tonnes to 163 lakh tonnes without the administrative approvals such a revision would require.
Chandrasekhar Reddy claimed that contractors were paid about ₹800 a tonne, alongside an unauthorised additional 15% volume allowance, which he said caused a loss of ₹60 crore to the State exchequer.
Govardhan Reddy demanded that the exact quantity of waste excavated from beneath the ground across various local bodies be made public, asking who was truly benefiting from the cleanliness drive.
The YSRCP leaders also challenged the Minister to an open debate on the allegations.