The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Abdullapurmet mandal surveyor Batuka Srinivasulu and tahsildar B. Sudershan Reddy for allegedly accepting a Rs 20 lakh bribe linked to a survey and joint inspection report for a layout under Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) guidelines.
According to the ACB, the officials allegedly first demanded Rs 23 lakh before settling for Rs 20 lakh. The person from whom the money was allegedly sought approached the bureau, following which the ACB registered a case and organised an operation on Monday.
The ACB said the bribe money was recovered from Srinivasulu at his instance. He also allegedly tested positive for the chemically marked currency notes used during the operation. The bureau’s account identifies the alleged payment as being connected to the conduct of a survey and the issuance of a joint inspection survey report for the layout.
The case places a routine but consequential part of urban development administration under scrutiny. Surveys and inspection reports are important documents in the processing of layouts and in establishing whether land-related proposals meet applicable planning requirements. In this case, the ACB has alleged that the requested payment was connected to the officials’ handling of the HMDA-related survey process.
The alleged demand was made to a private party seeking the survey and report, while the ACB has withheld the complainant’s details for security reasons. The bureau has not indicated in the supplied report whether the layout proposal had received any final approval or whether its planning status was affected by the arrests.
Srinivasulu and Sudershan Reddy were produced before the Principal Special Judge for SPE and ACB cases at Nampally, the ACB said. The court proceedings and the investigation will determine the subsequent legal course. The allegations remain subject to due process, and an arrest does not by itself establish guilt.
