The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) caught MV Bhoopal Reddy, Joint Collector, and Y Madan Mohan Reddy, Senior Assistant in the E section of Ranga Reddy district, in an alleged bribery case related to the Dharani portal.
Madan Mohan Reddy was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 8 lakhs from Jakkidi Muthyam Reddy at Gurramgud Cross Road near Sanjeevani Vanam. He was allegedly taking bribes to remove 14 guntas of land from the prohibited list on the Dharani portal.
Madan Mohan Reddy claimed that he was only acting on behalf of the Joint Collector MV Bhoopal Reddy.
This is not the first time an official has been caught taking a bribe related to the Dharani portal. Earlier, a Dharani portal operator, Kumara Swamy, was caught taking bribes from farmers at the Tahsildar office for registering land papers in their names.
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A junior assistant of Ameenpur MRO was also arrested for allegedly demanding Rs 30,000. He was an operator for the Dharani portal.
These bribery cases are a wake-up call for the government to implement stricter rules to safeguard public lands through the Dharani portal in Telangana. If not addressed, it may lend credence to opposition claims that the Dharani portal is the biggest scam of the BRS government.
-Sanyogita