Veerabhadra Goud is TDP’s Face Of Corruption In Alur

The drought-ridden Alur constituency of Kurnool district, is one riddled with problems. Parched throats, arid land and migrant labourers are among the issues which dog this region. To make matters worse, the TDP incharge of this consituency, Veerabhadra Goud, appointed by the state government acts like a dictator lording over the area, locals say. Instead of focusing on resolving the problems plaguing tje region, the incharge representative has been indulging in corrupt activities. He thrives on comissions, locals say, for all welfare activities. Goud has not spared even funds meant for the construction of toilets and has been striking deals to provide jobs. Sakshi decided to carry out an investigation into the corrupt activities of Veerabhadra Goud.

Holding the area in his vice-like grip, Veerabhadra Goud has been diverting funds meant for development programme and welfare schemes. Officials who went around the district claiming that development works would be taken up with respect to canals and lakes, did not bother to ensure that there was water in the region. There is a scramble for Anganwadi posts with unemployment on the rise and exploiting the situation, the TDP incharge has been selling these posts.

The area borders neighbouring Karnataka state. Illegally mined sand worth Rs 20 crores is transported at night to the neighbouring state and adulterated liquor is brought in from there. Goud has borrowed loans from banks and has defaulted on them using his clout as a TDP politician. People of the area state in one voice that the TDP incharge has not carried out a single development programme in the constituency.

The sand mafia is being backed to the hilt by police and revenue authorities, locals say. Sand illegally mined from Holagunda mandal, from River Vedavathi was ferried to Bengaluru and Bellary districts. The total worth of sand thus mined and transported is said to be in the range of Rs 20 crores. There has been widespread criticism that in the processm the ruling party leaders earned about Rs 6 crores.

Omissions Galore

* The area is said to have been considered conducive for the setting up of wind power plants. And hence several private firms came forward to set up wind power projects. However, they were pressured by TDP leaders to part with a percentage and award sub-contracts to them as well.

* Wind power plants require a heavy bed made of sand and the TDP leaders insisted that they should be awarded the sand contracts as well. They dug up lakes, ponds and other water bodies indiscriminately to transport sand mined illegally from these sources.

* There are allegations that the TDP leaders earned huge commissions when the wind power plants were set up. When these firms purchased lands for their plants, TDP leaders acted as middlemen, offering a lower price to farmers who sold their lands and selling them for a higher price to firms which bought these lands.

* They also swindled Rs 117 crores sanctioned under the Rurban mission and did not spare funds allocated for backward areas to the extent of Rs 6 crores either.

* It is learnt that Rs 14 crores sanctioned under the water grid scheme were also swindled by the ruling party leaders. There are widespread allegations that Anganwadi posts have been sold by TDP leaders and forty such Anganwadi worker posts were reportedly sold for Rs 3 lakhs each.

Beltshops

Veerbhadra Goud has also earned notoriety for belt shops in villages across the region in the name of his proxies while the excise department looks the other way. Moreover, he has directed people that liquor should be supplied through these belt shops for festival processions and other special occasions.

Neeru-Chettu

Rs 50 crores were sanctioned under the Neeru-Chettu scheme, thanks to the clout that Veerabhadra Goud enjoys. Locals say that contractors and ruling party leaders were handed over works related to the scheme for a percentage of 18-20%. There are allegations that works done in the past were sighted as freshly completed development works under the Neeru Chettu programme. No scrutiny was undertaken as to whether these development works were completed.

Temple lands

For sometime now, veerabhadra Goud and other TDP leaders have cast their eye on temple lands and other regions in the garb of tenant farmers. In Survey No. 22, 54.7 acres of land have been illegally occupied by Venugopal, Babu, Krishna and others from the eastern part of the district. Lands meant for nayee Brahmins, washermen and other backward communities which fall under Inam lands category have not been spared by TDP leaders. In 336a Survey No of Chintakunta village of Halaharvi mandal, 14.80 acres of land belonging to Raghavendra swamy mutt have been illegally occupied by TDP leaders.

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