Forum for Good Governance: Corruption is rampant in government departments

After contractors, former sarpanches, real estate businessmen, and others, now the non-profit organisation Forum for Good Governance has also raised concern over the corruption prevailing in the state administration. The common man has to pay bribes for every work. Forum for Good Governance president M Padmanabha Reddy said that the revenue, municipality, police, commercial tax, and excise departments top the list. In a letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the FGG president said that the employees have no fear of punishment. He said that lapses in administration and laxity in acting on vigilance and ACB investigation reports in the secretariat are promoting corruption.

Some officers got promotion despite serious cases being pending. He said some officers were getting promotions despite serious ACB and vigilance cases pending against them. Referring to the case of G Srinivas (DCTO) Malkajgiri, who was booked by the ACB in 2013, he said the case was still pending before the special judge ACB cases. Srinivas approached the high court for his promotion without citing the criminal case pending in the ACB court. The judge passed an interim order to consider his case for the post of assistant commissioner without citing the criminal case pending against him.

Promotion despite being surrounded by allegations. Similarly, the ACB had registered a criminal case against Deputy Commercial Tax Officer D Srinivas Reddy. The investigation was not completed for the last seven years and no chargesheet was filed. Srinivas Reddy approached the High Court for his promotion without citing the case. He said the judge passed an interim order to consider the case of his promotion to the post of CTO.

Promotion even after filing of chargesheet. In another case, K Geetha, wife of Commercial Tax Officer M Srinivas Reddy, had committed serious irregularities for which charge sheets were filed in 2017. The case was not finalised. Meanwhile, she approached the High Court for promotion to the post of Joint Commissioner of Commercial Tax without citing pending disciplinary proceedings against her, he said. There are many cases where officers accused in serious criminal cases are getting good postings and promotions. Padmanabha Reddy said the FGG requested the Chief Minister to order an inquiry into the lapses in the mentioned cases and amend the rules not to grant postings or promotions to officers involved in criminal cases.

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