Hyderabad: Corruption among government officials often involves keeping illicit financial flows active. Some officials, powerful enough, can bypass transfer orders, as seen in the case of N Sridhar from the Irrigation Department. Recently arrested for having assets beyond his known income, Sridhar managed to retain his position for over a year despite being transferred.
Investigations by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) revealed that senior irrigation officials supported Sridhar’s continued stay in his post, ignoring orders from the Irrigation Secretary. Engineer-in-Chief G Anil Kumar is suspected of helping Sridhar by not enforcing his transfer.
Last year, State Irrigation Secretary Rahul Bojja ordered Sridhar, then an Executive Engineer in Karimnagar district, to report to the head office on June 27. Sridhar neither reported nor communicated with the head office, yet remained in his position.
The ACB, shocked by these findings, sought more evidence from higher authorities. They discovered that Sridhar maintained close ties with senior officials, allowing him to stay in his role. Anil Kumar’s involvement is under scrutiny, with the ACB planning to summon him and others once sufficient evidence links them to the case.
Anil Kumar allegedly halted Sridhar’s transfer secretly, bypassing the Secretary. The ACB intends to question Sridhar, currently in Chanchalguda jail, to uncover more about his connections within the Irrigation Department. The investigation aims to probe how top officials supported Sridhar in amassing over Rs 200 crore in illicit wealth, potentially implicating others in the scheme.
