The stunning revelations by local news media on how the SKC was lured and influenced, by providing 7 Star facilities to write the report against Telangana.
It is like rubbing salt into the wounds. Close on the heels of the disturbing revelations about the “secret note” of the Justice BN Srikrishna Committee on Telangana, it has now emerged that the state government went out of the way to please the five-member panel and recklessly spent tax-payers’ money to provide lavish facilities for them. Apart from Rs 20 crore spent by the central government on the committee during its one year tenure, the state government, on its part, sanctioned Rs 2.50 crore on a host of facilities provided to the members including the purchase of two luxury cars costing Rs 50 lakhs, imported furniture, plasma television sets and computers.
The Lake View Guest House was converted into a plush office to facilitate the work by the committee members whenever they visited Hyderabad to hold interactions with various groups and receive representations on Telangana issue. Brand new furniture, expensive TV sets, computers and cars were purchased by the government. Ironically, the funds were sanctioned without batting an eyelid. All this for a committee that does not even have statutory powers!
Two Toyota Camry luxury cars were purchased and kept ready for the exclusive use of the committee members who made 20 trips to the city as part of their work. The huge bills footed by the government during their visits spoke of the extravagance and lavishness indulged in by the panel members.
Though Lake View Guest House already has five-star facilities for its guests, the government chose to spend additional funds to replace the furniture and provide new computers, TV sets and other amenities. This was in addition to the full-fledged office that the Committee had in New Delhi.
The new items procured included seven touch-screen computers, worth Rs 7 lakh, wi-fi, LAN Network, worth Rs 6 lakh, Sony TV sets Rs 4.50 lakh, branded furniture for Rs 15 lakh, Air-conditioners Rs 3.80 lakh and furnishings like paintings worth Rs 3 lakh.
Angered over the anti-Telangana observations made by the SRK Committee in its Chapter 8 of the 500-page report, the Telangana MLAs are already planning to move a privilege motion against the panel members.
“The members of the Srikrishna Committee must face action for insulting the Telangana people and denigrating the statehood movement. We will move a privilege notice in the Assembly and demand that the panel members be summoned to the House and admonished,” the Deputy Floor Leader of the main opposition Telugu Desam Party N Janardhan Reddy said.
A group of Telangana MLCs, belonging to the ruling Congress, have already moved a privilege motion in the Council against the panel. If the Council Chairman A Chakrapani admits the privilege motion, then the panel members and its chairman and former Supreme Court judge Justice BN Srikrishna could be summoned to the House and pulled up for violating the rights of MLCs.
What other individual benefits the committee members got for working in the said committee is yet to be made public.
