The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Jana Sena Party (JSP), which are part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the State, have taken exception to the growing instances of fire mishaps at government offices, resulting in possible destruction of sensitive files.
At separate press conferences held here on Sunday, BJP State spokesperson G. Bhanuprakash Reddy and JSP Tirupati constituency in-charge K. Kiran Rayal expressed anguish over the instances, but made lighter-vein remarks in a bid to mock the spate of incidents.
Mr. Bhanuprakash squarely blamed the officials and staff of the various departments for the series of mishaps. After being hand-in-glove with the corrupt politicians of the erstwhile YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government, they are now making such attempts to save their skin, he charged.
“After sudden outbreaks of fire in Amaravati, Polavaram, Madanapalle and now in Tirupati, a number of questions arise over the fire safety measures at government office buildings,” he observed.
On the ‘mishap’ at the TTD’s administrative building late on Saturday, Mr. Bhanuprakash Reddy wondered if there was a fire safety mechanism in place in TTD, and demanded a full-scale inquiry into the mishap.
Similarly, Mr. Kiran Rayal brought inflammable material such as electric wires and traditional wick lamps to the press conference, in an apparent dig at the reasons cited for the mishaps, such as ‘electric short circuit’, ‘files catching fire due to a lamp’, etc.
He dubbed the fire accident as an attempt to destroy files pertaining to the now-controversial Srivani Trust transactions. “The pattern of fire accidents is a cause for concern. The public, who are hoping for serious action to be taken against the culprits of the previous government, should not be let down,” he said.
Mr. Kiran Rayal also demanded immediate action against the erstwhile Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs R.K. Roja, who has been accused of indulging in corruption in the ‘Aadudam Andhra’ event. He said he had received information that she was planning to flee the country in view of her “imminent arrest”.
Published - August 18, 2024 07:43 pm IST
