HYDERABAD: Former MLA and ex-chairman of the Telangana State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited (TSCSCL), Peddi Sudarshan Reddy, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Telangana High Court, alleging significant irregularities within the corporation that have led to a loss of over Rs 1,100 crore to the state exchequer.
In his petition, Sudarshan Reddy accuses TSCSCL of engaging in illegal sales of paddy beyond the allowed 90-day tender period at prices significantly below the market rate. He specifically notes that paddy was sold at Rs 20,040 per metric tonne (MT) while the market price was Rs 22,300 per MT, resulting in a loss of Rs 188.7 crore, with further losses anticipated from similar transactions. He also points to irregularities in the sale and procurement of sanna biyyam (fine variety rice) paddy.
Sudarshan Reddy claims that TSCSCL sold sanna biyyam paddy at Rs 24,071 per MT, only for the same officer to issue a procurement tender a month later for the same paddy at an inflated price of Rs 56,799 per MT. He argues that this practice of selling at low prices while buying at higher rates is a deliberate attempt to benefit specific bidders at the expense of public funds. The estimated loss from these transactions alone is around Rs 350 crore, according to the petitioner.
The PIL also requests that the TSCSCL forfeit the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) and Security Deposit (SD) from the private millers involved in these transactions. The case is expected to be listed before the Chief Justice's bench in the coming days.