Minister Durgesh visits Polavaram office in wake of burning of files

Rajamahendravaram: Tourism, Culture, and Cinematography Minister Kandula Durgesh visited the Polavaram Left Canal land acquisition project office on Sunday to investigate a recent incident where several important files were burned.

He enquiredRajamahendravaram in-charge RDO KL Shiva Jyothi, Deputy Collector K Vedavalli, DSP Bhavya Kishore, Rajamahendravaram Rural Tahsildar J Lakshmi Ramya, and other staff members about the incident.

He stressed that the state government is committed to transparent and accountable governance and there would be no tolerance for officials or employees attempting to cover up corruption of the previous government.

The minister said that there have been several allegations of corruption related to the Polavaram project under the former government and that the burning of office records is being taken very seriously.

He ordered a Joint Collector (JC) investigation to uncover the facts and instructed authorities to identify and take strict action against those involved, whether directly or indirectly.

The minister also stressed the importance of following government guidelines when disposing of files and said such matters should be brought to the attention of higher authorities. He expressed his disappointment, calling the incident unfortunate and a breach of the coalition government’s promise to provide transparent governance.

Joint Collector S Chinna Ramudu explained that a full-scale investigation is underway regarding all aspects of the Polavaram Left Canal project. He assured that negligence by the staff in handling land acquisition files would be thoroughly examined, and those found guilty would face both departmental and criminal action.

SP D Narasimha Kishore commented that the police had received information that files were burned at the Polavaram Left Canal land acquisition project office on Saturday afternoon. He mentioned that the DSP had inspected the area, and the police would also investigate whether there was any criminal intention behind the incident.

The incident, which took place at the Polavaram project administrative office in Dowleswaram, has caused a sensation. It was discovered that files related to Unit-1 of the Polavaram Left Main Canal land acquisition division were burned.

The reasons behind who instigated the burning and for whose benefit remain unclear. Some officials claimed these were just photocopies and waste papers, which angered Minister Durgesh and Rajahmundry Rural MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, as it’s believed the documents included reports on various scams related to the compensation for Polavaram project evacuees.

The Polavaram Authority office is supposed to be under the supervision of an IAS officer, but there has been a lack of official monitoring for the past few months. After IAS officer Praveen Aditya was transferred before the elections, Kakinada JC Ilakkiya was appointed. However, she went on leave, leading to the appointment of the Vijayawada R&R Commissioner and later the ITDA PO as in-charges.

With senior officials absent and no full-time officer in place, local staff have allegedly acted with impunity, leading to the burning of several files and documents on Saturday without informing higher authorities. There is suspicion that this was done to cover up illegal activities.

MLA Butchaiah Chowdary expressed anger over the incident and demanded a comprehensive investigation. He discussed the matter with the Collector and SP, insisting on a detailed focus on the specifics of the burned documents.