Flexiboards advertising the achievements of the TRS government can be seen on almost all Metro Rail pillars across the city, ahead of GHMC elections. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: The TRS is making the most of the Hyderabad Metro Rail pillars for the GHMC elections while Opposition parties are crying foul.
The ruling party has already booked 1,000 of the 1,350 Metro Rail pillars in the city, covering them with posters highlighting the government’s achievements, plans and schemes for Hyderabad.
The Opposition Congress, Telugu Desam and the BJP allege that Metro developer L&T is allotting pillars only to the TRS for “free” while denying the same to the Opposition parties even if they are willing to pay.
L&T, however, claims it has been charging “nominal fees” from the TRS without disclosing how much revenue it has earned. It is ready to allot pillars to any party.
TRS misusing power, say parties
Metro developer L&T said that it is ready to allot pillars to any party.
Opposition parties rubbished the claims of L&T and alleged that the latter had given the pillars to the TRS for free. “We have approached L&T officials numerous times over the past one month, seeking allotment of pillars to put up our campaign posters. But there has been no response. We even offered to pay whatever amount prescribed by them and to match whatever was paid by the TRS. But neither are they disclosing the amount nor allotting the pillars. If they had collected some fee from the TRS, what is the problem in disclosing that and collecting the same from other parties? It shows that L&T is lying about the fees and pillars,” said TPCC working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.
City TD chief Maganti Gopinath said, “The ruling TRS has made the entire GHMC elections process undemocratic. It is completely misusing its power and threatening advertisement agencies and L&T not to allot hoardings and Metro pillars to Opposition parties. Only the TRS and its ally the MIM are getting these. There was no response either from L&T or GHMC on our request to allot pillars. Though we are willing to pay, they are not allotting us but giving them free to the TRS.”
BJP state president G. Kishan Reddy said, “We have faced several elections earlier but never witnessed such blatant misuse of power by a ruling party. Leave Metro pillars, Opposition parties are not even getting hoardings as TRS is threatening everyone and using them for free.”
However, L&T MRHL denied giving pillars to the TRS for free and rejecting pillars to other parties. “The TRS has already booked 1,000 out of total 1,350 pillars. Barring the Congress, no other party has approached us. We have not given pillars to the TRS for free but for a nominal fees till GHMC elections. We can’t disclose the financial dealings between us. Such commercial dealings will be between us and the client,”said Sanjay Kapur, general manager, L&T MRHL.
Mr Kapur added, “We are ready to allot the remaining pillars to whoever approaches us.”
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