Duraimurugan, the Minister of Water Resources, has come under criticism for allegedly handing a sand quarry contract to sand baron Sekhar Reddy and his aides in exchange for a bribe of crores of rupees.
Sand baron Sekarreddy and his aides Ramachandran from Pudukottai, Karikalan from Dindigul, and Rathinam from Dindigul were instrumental in leasing the sand quarries permitted in Tamil Nadu’s rivers. Sekhar Reddy and his associates were accused of getting licenses for sand quarry illegally, bribing government officials, and driving up the price of sand to an all-time high.
A leaked audio clip of a person believed to be the assistant to water resource minister Duraimurugan speaking with a broker regarding sand quarry contracts given to three firms linked to Sekhar Reddy for a bribe of 300 crores is circulating on social media.
The recording, however, does not reveal whether the transactions took place in Duraimurugan’s residence in Kotturpuram, Chennai, or at Gandhi Nagar in Katpaadi.
Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that these arrangements were made through Duraimurugan’s son and Vellore MP Kathir Anand.
(with inputs from Vikatan)
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.