Never met any RAK officials: former YS Rajasekhara Reddy secretary to CBI

HYDERABAD: Confirming the doubts raised by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the claims regarding the very participation of the state of Ras-Al Khaimah (RAK) in the Vanpic deal, MGVK Bhanu, special secretary to former chief minister the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, told the agency that he had never met any representatives from the Arab emirate.
“I heard of them only through Nimmagadda Prasad who had been meeting me several times over the development of Vanpic project; it was he who brought RAK into the picture,” Bhanu told CBI.
He also admitted to CBI that he could not get any official document which defines the basis for a G2G (government-to-government) project. Vanpic is shown as a G2G project between Andhra Pradesh and the emirate of RAK. “However, I remember that Dr Manmohan Singh (the secretary to the infrastructure and investment department) once showed me a proviso which said that the government should own not less than 51% stake in a company qualified as a government company,” Bhanu said in his deposition.
As to special secretary Brahmananda Reddy signing the MoU and concession agreement, Bhanu told CBI that the special secretary of a department could only sign them after prior permission from the secretary. The Vanpic project was to be developed in the ‘build, own, operate and transfer’ (BOOT) mode and that was how the proposal was presented to the council of ministers. “When certain deviations were brought to my notice by Manmohan Singh, in 2009, I advised him to immediately put it on file,” Bhanu said in his statement. Bhanu also told CBI that the late YSR had conducted an informal meeting in February 2008 at his camp office where, “Manmohan Singh, Brahmananda Reddy, KVP Ramachandra Rao, Nimmagadda Prasad and myself were present”. It was here that YSR told us about the RAK’s willingness to take up the Vanpic project.
Only Prasad used to interact with RAK on behalf of Vanpic, Bhanu said. Asked how AP government had no representative in the special purpose vehicle floated to implement the project, Bhanu made it clear that the decision had been taken at the highest level. “Neither did YSR tell me nor had I ever orally instructed Brahmananda Reddy to sign the concession agreement approved by the cabinet,” Bhanu reportedly said. If any officer acts on oral orders without obtaining written instructions, such an action amounts to violation of conduct rules under Service (Conduct) Rules, Bhanu said.