metro india news  I hyderabad

Former minister Harish Rao accused the Congress government of orchestrating a massive Rs 50,000 crore power scam in Telangana. He alleged that 30–40% commission is being planned on new power plant projects. Rao said every move by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is driven by a “commission mission,” and that the government only thinks about how to extract commissions. He also claimed that ministers are clashing over fund allocations, with even family members revealing discrepancies.

Speaking at Telangana Bhavan on Wednesday, Rao said Congress in power would lead to lawlessness, and that every word spoken by KCR during assembly elections is now coming true. He alleged that Telangana, which was a model of welfare under ten years of BRS rule, is now becoming a hub of poverty, misdeeds, and lawlessness. Rao said cabinet meetings, which should focus on public welfare and state progress, now revolve around allocations, kickbacks, and commissions. He accused the CM and ministers of conspiring to extract Rs 5 lakh crore through power scams.

On new power projects, Rao alleged that the 800 MW thermal plant in Ramagundam would cost Rs 14 crore per MW if built by GENCO, while NTPC could complete the same at Rs 12.23 crore per MW. He pointed out that previous BRS projects produced power at much lower costs: 

WTPP at Rs 8.63 crore per MW, Bhadradri at Rs 9.74 crore per MW, and NTPC at Rs 12.23 crore per MW. Even with FGD regulatory relaxations reducing costs to Rs 7 crore per MW, the new project would total Rs 5,600 crore for 800 MW. Projects in Ramagundam, Palvancha, and Maktal are being overpriced to allegedly benefit commissions.

Rao said that the government is rejecting existing NTPC agreements, which could supply electricity at Rs 4.12 per unit, in favor of costly new projects. He highlighted that power is available in the market at Rs 5 per unit, while NTPC could provide it at Rs 8–9 per unit. The 800 MW project is expected to take four to five years, with total costs rising to Rs 10,880–15,000 crore and per-unit costs increasing to Rs 7.92–10. Rao demanded clarity on how the government plans to fund these projects without sufficient revenue.

He also criticized the government for sidelining renewable energy targets. The promise to reduce thermal power by 40% by 2026 and build 20,000 MW of renewable capacity by 2030 has been abandoned. Solar energy projects, intended for self-help groups and women entrepreneurs, have not progressed.

Rao alleged that introducing another DISCOM alongside existing SPDCL and NPDCL units is aimed at privatization. He questioned how revenue-deficient DISCOMs could survive and claimed that Revanth Reddy is following BJP directions in implementing these plans. He accused the government of opening the door for commission-driven scams across power, land, and industrial sectors, and revealed that Rs 50,000 crore scams are being executed, with further exposés planned, including Hyderabad underground cable scams, pumped storage, and battery storage projects.

Rao also said that when opposition parties question government actions, the authorities launch enquiries against the opposition instead. He insisted that BRS is ready to fight legally if necessary. He demanded clear explanations on the funding and costs of the new thermal plants and called for independent investigations, stressing that both BJP and Congress must be held accountable for wrongdoing.