Ever since the Telugu Desam Party-led coalition came to power in Andhra Pradesh, allegations have surfaced that bureaucrats are still under the influence of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) and are making decisions without informing the Chandrababu Naidu government.
Several senior officials and IAS officers who served during the previous YSRCP government remain in key positions and are allegedly helping YSRCP leaders and contractors favored during the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime.
A recent incident brought this to light when the finance department cleared pending bills amounting to ₹60.98 crore for contractors involved in building Jagan’s camp office-cum-residence at Rushikonda Hills, Visakhapatnam.
The contractor, Deck Infrastructure & Projects India Private Limited, reportedly received payments for various projects, including the Kurnool Cluster University and Pulivendula Medical College.
Interestingly, while the state’s Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS) is said to be restricting the submission of new bills, the same contractor—who handled projects worth ₹452 crore during Jagan’s tenure—received significant payments on Thursday and Friday.
Following media reports, state finance minister Payyavula Keshav reportedly expressed anger at officials for processing these payments without prior approval.
He demanded an explanation regarding how the bills were cleared without his consent and who had authorized the payments.
The minister called for a detailed report on the payments and instructed that no further payments be made to the contractor without approval from either him or the chief minister.
