Date:04/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/04/stories/2008060460610800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Probe sought into irregularities in TTD’s bhakti channel

Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI: Chittoor district unit of the CPI(M) on Tuesday expressed its concern over the alleged rampant irregularities in the TTD’s Sri Venkateswara Bhakthi Channel even before it could become fully operational and demanded a thorough probe into its entire working.

The party’s reaction came in the wake of adverse reports in the vernacular media against those managing the affairs of the SVBC and regretted that the channel, which was supposed to spread bhakti and values, should get caught in the mire of alleged corruption and favouritism.

District secretary of the party K. Kumar Reddy, in a statement said that letting such irregularities go unpunished would hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.

In yet another reaction to the reported irregularities in the execution of NREGS works in Chittoor Zilla Parishad Chairperson Subramanyam Reddy’s Santhipuram mandal in the Kuppam constituency, the CPI(M) district secretary K. Kumar Reddy demanded his resignation owning moral responsibility for the scandal.

Social audit

The party cited in this connection the ‘social audit’ which exposed the alleged misuse of the NREGS funds of Rs. 10 lakh in the ZP chief’s own panchayat samiti by vested interests.