Hyderabad : A major mishap was averted in Vemulawada on Tuesday when the basement of an under-construction double-bedroom house collapsed during an inspection by Congress MLA and government whip Adi Srinivas, Rajanna Sircilla District Collector Garima Agarwal, and other senior officials.
The inspection was part of a review of houses being built under the Telangana government’s housing scheme within the Vemulawada municipal limits. As the team examined the site, the basement suddenly caved in. Quick reflexes from officials and the MLA’s supporters, who grabbed hold of him, prevented what could have been a serious fall.
No injuries were reported, but the incident triggered a political storm.
Leaders of the opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) were quick to react, alleging that the collapse exposed widespread corruption and poor construction quality under the present Congress government. They argued that the incident demonstrated the ruling party’s failure to ensure proper monitoring and standards.
MLA Adi Srinivas, however, hit back, asserting that the mishap was a direct result of lapses during the earlier BRS regime. He claimed that the houses in question were sanctioned and awarded to contractors during the BRS government. “The construction was rushed with substandard materials just to earn commissions,” he alleged.
Srinivas added that the double-bedroom houses had initially been taken up in Narsapuram under the previous dispensation and were left incomplete. “Whatever construction was done then used poor-quality material. We raised this issue repeatedly when the BRS was in power,” he said.
He added that after the Congress came to power, it decided to finish the pending houses and deliver them to eligible beneficiaries. “During our inspection, the basement collapsed. This is clear proof of what we had been saying about the corruption and negligence during the BRS rule,” Srinivas reiterated.
Drawing a parallel, the MLA further alleged that barrages constructed under the Kaleshwaram project had also suffered structural failures due to similar issues.
Assuring the public, he said that the government would expedite the remaining works and hand over the completed houses to beneficiaries at the earliest.
The incident has intensified the political blame game in Telangana, with both parties trading charges over accountability and construction quality in long-pending housing projects.
