MLC alleges misuse of funds by Dharmana

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, June 15, 2013: In an embarrassment to Congress senior leader, Dharmana Prasad Rao who had to step down from state cabinet after he was chargesheeted in YSRC chief Jagan Mohan Reddy’s disproportionate assets case, north Andhra graduates’ constituency MLC, M.V.S. Sarma has alleged that Rao when he was district in charge minister had misused the funds allotted to him under Constituency Development Programme (CDP) to the tune of Rs 50 lakhs.

  

In a letter to the chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, Sarma alleged that Rao misused the funds of Rs 50 lakh that had been released under the Constituency Development Programme (CDP). He also alleged that not only were the funds misused by Rao but he (Sarma) was discriminated against by Rao in distribution of funds.

He also accused him (Rao) of pushing aside his proposals and allocating hardly any funds while generously distributing the CDP funds amongst other MLAs and MLCs. The state government passed an order that Rs 50 lakhs of the total Rs 1 cr funds allotted to an MLC under CDP should be sanctioned or can be spent by the concerned district in charge minister. Taking advantage of the order, Dharmana misused his CDP funds without considering his requests and proposals, the MLC added.

“Significantly, (Dharmana) spent the CDP funds in case of other MLAs and MLCs in the district as well as in north Andhra in response to their proposals,” Sarma further alleged adding, he (Dharmana), however, “rejected and refused my proposals.”

Sarma also accused Dharmana of illegally allowing funds for digging borewells in the agricultural lands privately owned by four individuals. “No funds were allocated for my proposals that pertained to providing better hostel facilities and infrastructure for government schools in the three districts of north Andhra that are very much within my constituency,” he alleged.

Sarma added that during 2010-11, he had spent Rs 1 crore for  as many as 147 works that pertained to food, shelter and better infrastructure for schools, especially in the SC, ST areas in the three districts and there was no problem when Vatti Vasanth Kumar was incharge minister. Sarma said he divided his CDP funds in the ratio of 40 per cent for Vizag, 30 per cent each for Viziangaram and Srikakulam.

The trouble began when Rao was made in-charge minister for the district, he alleged adding, after that all his proposals submitted in 2011-12, 2012-13 were rejected by Prasad Rao.

     

The MLC wrote a letter to the chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy explaining the misuse and the discrimination meted to him by Dharmana Prasad Rao. He also requested the  chief minister to review the decision taken earlier that part of funds allotted to an MLC under CDP should be sanctioned or can be spent by the concerned district in charge minister to avoid any misuse and clash among themselves.