Harish Rao alleges ₹82,000 crore burden from Congress power project ‘kickbacks’

LatestPoliticsTelangana
By HNH Web Desk
Congress power project kickbacks

Hyderabad: BRS MLA and former minister T. Harish Rao on Monday accused the Congress-led Telangana government of deliberately rejecting cheaper NTPC power. He claims this was done to favor costlier thermal projects, creating a ₹82,000 crore burden on public finances over 25 years.

Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao alleged that Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu were justifying the decision to proceed with three thermal plants. These plants are in Ramagundam, Makthal, and Palvoncha despite NTPC’s offer of power at ₹4.12 per unit. He pointed out that electricity from state-run GENCO would cost ₹7.70 per unit.

Congress power project kickbacks to cost Telangana ₹9 crore daily, says Harish Rao

The BRS leader calculated that each megawatt from the proposed thermal plants would cost ₹13.62 crore during construction. This cost rises to ₹15–16 crore upon completion. At full capacity, Telangana would pay ₹9 crore more daily compared to NTPC rates. This amounts to ₹3,285 crore annually and ₹82,000 crore over 25 years.

Harish Rao questioned why the government ignored repeated offers from NTPC to supply 2,400 MW from its Telangana-dedicated plant. “Is it because there are no commissions from NTPC?” he asked.

He also criticised the Congress for abandoning its clean energy promises. They are pursuing thermal projects despite advocating 20,000 MW of renewables by 2030 under the Clean Energy Policy.

Further, he condemned the appointment of officials from Andhra Pradesh to top GENCO positions. “An Andhra engineer with no power sector background now heads a new project. Officers with ACB histories and no Telangana roots are now in charge,” he said, calling it a betrayal of Telangana’s interests.

Harish Rao also alleged corruption in green energy applications. “The department collected ₹600 crore in application fees and then demanded ₹30 lakh per MW in bribes. No permissions have been granted without payment,” he said.

Criticising CM Revanth Reddy for model code violations during the ongoing elections, he accused the Chief Minister of using official functions to influence voters. “Why is the State Election Commission silent?” he asked.

The BRS MLA demanded the removal of Andhra-region officials from Telangana’s power sector. He called for transparency in power project decisions. “This is not just politics. It’s about protecting Telangana from a long-term financial burden,” he said.

 

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