Revanth orders CID probe into illegal sand mining

Hyderabad: Turning the tables on the Bharat Rashtra Samithi which demanded that a House panel be constituted to look into allegations that 'Raghav Constructions', owned by the family of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, is involved in illegal mining; Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday ordered a CB-CID (Crime Branch–Criminal Investigation Department) inquiry into all mining leases granted from June 2, 2014 to date as well as all illegal mining and sand extraction activities conducted in the state since then.

After a lot of furore in the Assembly, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced that he was ordering an investigation into the illegal sand mining activities linked to former BRS Rajya Sabha member Joginpally Santosh Rao and his father, Ravinder Rao. The Chief Minister stated that, in addition to Raghav Constructions, he would also order inquiries into former minister and BRS legislator Gangula Kamalakar’s illegal granite mining, BRS Rajya Sabha member Vaddiraju Ravichandra’s illegal mining as well as the activities of Sircilla and Nerella ‘sand mafia’.

He clarified that an investigation would be conducted into the activities of all the entities involved, not just Raghav Constructions.

The inquiry report would be placed before the House during the upcoming Assembly session, he said. Earlier, the BRS party had demanded the constitution of a House Committee, alleging that ‘Raghav Constructions’ was engaging in illegal mining. In this context, former minister Harish Rao specifically mentioned Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy’s name.

The Chief Minister alleged that Harish Rao and former minister KT Rama Rao had spearheaded illegal mining operations. He asserted that the inquiry would unearth the truth. The findings of the enquiry would be presented to the Legislative Assembly.

Revanth Reddy maintained that it was BRS leaders and their relatives who were behind the “sand mafia and illegal mining activities”. He alleged that they had intimidated individuals like Vaddiraju Ravichandra to bring them under their control. Furthermore, he claimed that Harish Rao’s own brother, Maheshwar Rao, had personally run the sand mafia. “It was solely due to his irregularities that KTR took over the Mining Department,” Revanth Reddy reasoned.

The Chief Minister asserted that the government would not be intimidated by the “blackmail tactics” of BRS leaders. He alleged that Harish Rao had engaged in rampant looting; noting that the Mining Department was initially under Harish Rao’s purview and that, when a dispute arose between former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s son (KTR) and son-in-law (Harish Rao) regarding this matter, KCR resolved the issue by reassigning the department from his son-in-law to his son. The Chief Minister lashed out at BRS leaders, accusing them of levelling baseless allegations against Ministers who refuse to submit to them—a reaction stemming from their realisation that the public is recognising how the current administration has curbed their looting and boosted state revenues through the mining and sand sectors. He declared that they would not be intimidated by the mudslinging directed at them.

Revanth Reddy observed that KTR had ousted his own sister, Kavitha, from both his home and the party due to disputes over property assets. He questioned what connection Ponguleti could possibly have with the business ventures of Srinivas Reddy’s relatives. He characterised the attempt to intimidate and coerce Ponguleti into submission as “a despicable act”. He warned that any attempts to “blackmail” Ministers would prove futile. He cautioned that, through a CID inquiry, they would unearth the truth and hold every single guilty individual accountable for their actions.

“Our government will not tolerate any irregularities that undermine public revenue. It was in this very context that notices were issued to Raghav Constructions, directing them to take corrective measures. Consequently, the Mining Department collected a fine from Raghav Constructions. These actions were not taken in response to a complaint filed by BRS members after they uncovered the issue; rather, our government proactively gathered the details and initiated these measures itself.