Telangana Cabinet Clears SET Probe Into Dharani Irregularities
Hyderabad, July 18 (TNT): The Telangana Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Friday night approved the constitution of a Special Enquiry Team (SET) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into alleged irregularities in the Dharani land records portal since its launch on October 29, 2020.
Addressing reporters after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the inquiry would cover all land registrations, changes to land records, transfers involving agricultural, assigned and government lands, and other suspicious transactions carried out through the portal.
Referring to a forensic audit that identified more than 10,000 suspicious transactions, the minister said the Cabinet had directed the SET to examine digital records, login credentials, alterations to land records, official approvals, changes in land classification and beneficiary details.
The probe will also examine the role of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS), which managed the portal, including the vendor selection process, tendering, contract award, software architecture and data security, he said.
The minister said the Cabinet observed that although the present government had introduced the Bhu Bharati system by modifying certain Dharani modules to better serve farmers, irregularities continued to surface because of flaws in the original software architecture. It directed that strict action be taken against all those found responsible, irrespective of their position.
The Cabinet also expressed concern over the increasing cost of government engineering works and delays in project execution. It approved the constitution of a High-Level Committee under the Chief Secretary to develop a uniform framework for project appraisal, land acquisition, procurement, contract management and bill payments.
The committee will formulate standard operating procedures for all stages of project implementation, including project design, land acquisition, procurement, contract execution and project completion.
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