Telangana CM Announces CB-CID Inquiry into Illegal Mining Operations
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that a Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) will be constituted into the alleged illegal mining operations that occurred during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. Speaking in the Assembly during the ongoing Telangana Budget Session on Saturday, March 28, he said the department will also investigate any irregularities if found during the present government. The CB-CID will also investigate the accusations levelled by BRS Siddipet MLA Harish Rao against Raghava Constructions Private Limited’s illegal granite quarrying in Vattinagulapally village in Rangareddy district. Rao raised the issue during the demand for grants for the mining department, when he said that the government failed to take any comprehensive action against Raghava Constructions despite several notices served by the Ranga Reddy district Additional Director of Mines. It should be noted that Raghava Constructions is run by family members of Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. “The company received two show-cause notices and a demand-notice. As per the Telangana State Minerals Dealer License Rules 2000, this draws a penalty of Rs 25,000, plus one year rigorous imprisonment. But there has been no action so far,” he said. He added that the company does not have the required mining license, environmental clearance, permissions from the industries department or the Consent for Establishment (CFE) and Consent for Operation (CFO). “These are gross violations,” he told the House. Explaining, the former minister said that on May 21, 2025, the first show cause notice was issued by the Director of Mines to check the stone crushers used at Raghava Constructions. The following day, a team led by Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB), Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) and the Revenue Department inspected the quarry site and recorded a stock of 5,130 tonne finished stone aggregates available at the site. “The company neither produced any permissions nor did it pay seigniorage fees. The Ranga Reddy district Additional Director of Mines wrote to TGPCB detailing that the actions caused the state exchequer as well as environmental damage to the Musi River,” Rao said. He said that on February 13, another letter was sent to the pollution board, after which a technical team visited the site on March 4, and found that 11,200 tonne crusher material. The mining operator was allegedly using generators running on diesel to crush the stones. “This time also, Raghava Constructions did not pay the seigniorage fee. On March 13, the company was served the second show-cause notice,” he said. At this point, the Chief Whip and Vemulawada MLA Adi Srinivas slammed Rao, saying he was speaking with “a lot of hatred” towards one company, and using the House to falsely blame the Congress. Mines Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy informed the House that the state revenue has not dipped but increased. “There is an 83 per cent increase in revenue through permit fee till February 2026, and a 97 per cent surge through seigniorage fee, in addition to Rs 7.87 crore collected through penalties,” he said. Responding to Rao’s allegations on Raghava Constructions, he said the company had paid over Rs 1 crore as permit fee and over Rs 1 crore as seigniorage fee to his department. “The Congress government will not hesitate to take action against violators,” he said. At this, Harish Rao questioned why the state government kept Patancheru BRS MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy’s brother in jail for a month but failed to act against Raghava Constructions. “Why is there no action against this company run by the family members of Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy?” he asked. As soon as Harish Rao named Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, Congress ministers rose in protest, demanding that the Speaker direct him to withdraw the reference. They questioned how Rao could name a minister in the House without the Speaker’s permission, as required under House rules. Rao showed a paper clipping in support of his allegation. “After we made the allegation against Raghava Constructions, the newspaper run by the minister (Vivek Venkatswamy) reported Ponguleti as saying that he knew how to chain the barking dogs. If Ponguleti had nothing to do with the company, why did he respond?” Harish Rao quipped, demanding Ponguleti take moral responsibility and tender his resignation to his ministerial post. Responding to Rao’s allegations on Raghava Constructions, Social Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman reminded him of illegal sand mining in Nerella village of Sircilla under the BRS government. He further said that granite quarries owned by Karimnagar BRS MLA Gangula Kamalakar operated illegal crushers on a large scale and demanded an inquiry. Women and Child Welfare Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka recalled that 40 stone crushers were operating in Hyderabad by “this home, that home” (in an indirect reference to My Home apartments) and permissions were “generously granted” by the BRS government. Unperturbed, Harish Rao demanded a full-fledged inquiry by a House Committee or a sitting High Court judge into the alleged irregularities of Raghava Constructions. At this, BRS MLAs stood up, raising slogans for a House Committee and the resignation of Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy. When all hell broke loose, the Chief Minister stood and announced the CB-CID inquiry into all illegal mining operations from 2014 to the present. “The opposition members are only levelling allegations against the minister (Ponguleti) because they want his recommendations for their works, which he did not agree to. They are trying to blackmail and put pressure on him. Such pressure tactics will not work,” the chief minister said. On the lack of action against Raghava Constructions, CM Revanth said it was not based on any complaint from the BRS, but on a complaint filed by an environment engineer on August 8, 2025. “If the minister’s direct involvement is there, will any government issue notice?” he asked, maintaining that it was the Congress government which had served notices to Raghava Constructions. Then came counter-allegations against BRS. Revanth listed out BRS MLAs and former ministers’ alleged illegal mining operations to the House. He claimed that former BRS Rajya Sabha MP J Santosh Kumar’s father, J Ravinder Rao, had operated illegal mining operations in Sircilla when the Nerella incident happened under KCR’s rule. He said that Sireesha Geo Granites was another company for which a former MLA from Andhra Pradesh (whose name was not mentioned) had obtained a mining lease with the help of the then mining minister, KT Rama Rao (KTR). When Harish Rao took over as the mining minister, his brother, Mahesh Rao, was directly in charge of Midwest Granites. The Enforcement Directorate has sent notices to Swetha Geo Granites, owned by Gangula Kamalakar’s family. So did Gayatri Granites, owned by BRS Rajya Sabha MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra. “During the first five years of BRS, Harish Rao was the mines minister. When there were differences between the uncle (KCR) and the nephew (Harish) with regard to sharing wealth, then the mines ministry was given to KTR,” Revanth Reddy claimed.
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