Debt At "Rs 40,000 Crore", Telangana Buys 32 Costly Cars For Officers

This at a time when the state is reeling under a debt of around Rs 40,000 crore, besides battling the debilitating Covid pandemic, opposition leaders have alleged.

Thirty-two Additional District Collectors of Telangana are in for a pandemic-time bonanza. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has bought them 32 Kia Carnival cars, each costing an estimated Rs 25-30 lakh each. This at a time when the state is reeling under a debt of around Rs 40,000 crore, besides battling the debilitating Covid pandemic, opposition leaders have alleged. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao inspected the vehicles after which the cars were flagged off by Telangana Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar in the presence of the state Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar and other officials at Pragati Bhavan, the Chief Minister's residence in Hyderabad. The BJP has called the move "criminal splurge" by Chief Minister Rao to "appease bureaucrats" in the state. "How can Chief Minister Rao justify spending over 11 crores to buy 32 ultra-luxury vehicles?" party spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao asked.