Hyderabad: Talking about ‘praja palana’ is one thing and getting on board officials habituated to have their palms greased is quite another. The spate of recent allegations of corruption against certain top-level IAS officials has put the entire bureaucracy in a tight spot in the Telangana state. The recent episode, involving Rs 50 crore black money allegedly in the possession of a senior IAS official of a key department in the GHMC limits, has triggered tremors in the state administration.

Realising the seriousness of the allegations, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) is already on the job of taking serious action against the official as well as two of his subordinates for indulging in corruption by taking commissions in lieu of approving projects in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) limits. The official in question reportedly asked businessmen who approached him for favours to convert the black money into white. The official even offered fat commission for the ‘help’.

Top officials told ‘The Hans India’ that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who holds the portfolio of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA & UD) Department, asked the CMO to submit a report on the allegations of swindling money for approval of realty projects in the GHMC and HMDA limits.

“Based on the report, the Chief Minister will take a tough action”, sources said.

It came to light that two top- level officials working under the IAS official in question also allegedly indulged in corruption and amassed wealth within a year.

Further, following a series of complaints that of some of the senior IAS officials have been misusing their positions for monetary gains at the cost of the exchequer, the state government had warned of action against some of the “small fish” among these errant bureaucrats, while preparing to proceed action against “sharks and whales” steeped in graft.

Officials said that some more graft allegations against some of the Commissioners and Secretaries of key departments were received from different sources and that the cases were under lens. They said:" Some IAS officials are taking unilateral decisions and exploiting their power for monetary benefits in some important wings of the government. Revenue-generating wings and the Commissionerates involved in granting permissions for real estate ventures and building permissions are being exploited by their heads." In the previous BRS government, a senior IAS official allegedly sought monetary benefits from a contract agency to perform his daughter's big fat wedding. Now, some IAS officers in Telangana are reportedly involved in corruption in the key departments held by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other important ministers in the state cabinet.