Mines Department Must Stop Harassing Road Contractors: Komatireddy
HYDERABAD: Roads and Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Friday directed Mines department officials not to harass contractors over permissions required to source metal and other construction materials for road projects.
The minister said sand, soil and metal are essential for road construction. However, he questioned why genuine contractors were being penalised while those involved in illegal mining were allegedly going unpunished.
Penalties on contractors come under scrutiny
Komatireddy, along with Mines and Geology Minister G. Vivek Venkataswamy, chaired a meeting at the Secretariat to discuss the challenges road contractors face in obtaining mining-related permissions.
The meeting was attended by MLC Damodar Reddy, MLA Megha Reddy, Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation (TGMDC) Managing Director Anudeep Durishetty, Roads and Buildings Chief Engineer (HAM Roads) B.V. Rao and representatives of the Mining Contractors Association.
During the meeting, association representatives highlighted several issues affecting contractors. They also said delays in permissions were impacting road works. The ministers observed that imposing penalties worth 10 times the value of the material on small contractors was unjustified.
Government targets completion of HAM roads by August 2028
Meanwhile, Komatireddy urged Vivek Venkataswamy to initiate action against the official allegedly responsible for the circumstances that led to contractor Srinivas Reddy’s suicide.
He described the imposition of a ₹54-crore penalty over a ₹5-crore issue as “atrocious.” He also said contractors were making payments as required under their agreements.
“It is not fair for the Mines department to harass small contractors,” Komatireddy said.
The minister added that the State government had launched road projects under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) to improve road infrastructure across Telangana. According to him, the government aims to complete all HAM road works by August 2028 under the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy.
In response, Vivek Venkataswamy directed Mines department officials to examine the issues raised and take appropriate action.
