Kalpesh Desai, Company Secretary of the Ahmedabad-based Montecarlo construction company, threatened to stop the railway line works taken up between Venkatachalam and Rapur in Nellore district if the local Venkatagiri MLA and TDP leader K. Ramakrishna did not stop interfering with their projects with immediate effect.
Mr. Desai accused the MLA of demanding nearly Rs. 5 crore to allow the works to be continued near Rapur area.
Meanwhile, MLA Ramakrishna denied having made any illegal demands from the company, stating that he was just asking the Montecarlo’s representatives to pay up Rs. 18 crore towards royalty for lifting soil from the water bodies from the village panchayats surrounding the railway line works.
Mr. Ramakrishna told The Hindu that the village panchayats should get the royalty due to them for the huge quantities of soil lifted from the tanks and the said money could be used to carry out developmental works in their respective panchayat limits.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Mr. Desai said that their company had taken up the Rs. 183 crore package 1 works of this railway line at 12.5 per cent less than the original project cost.
At the same time, high quality was being maintained in the works much to the satisfaction of the Railway Vikas Nigam Ltd, he added.
Stating that 80 per cent of the works had already been completed, Mr. Desai wanted the local leaders including the MLA to stop harassing their managers, engineers and supervisors who were engaged in the works.
Montecarlo representative alleges constant threat and harassment from the MLA’s men
