HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief N Raghuveera Reddy, who has been leaving no stone unturned to corner the TDP government by levelling graft allegations against it in the past few months, on Sunday fired fresh salvos at the government alleging that another coal scam had occurred in the State, which had made a huge dent to the exchequer.

He charged the TDP leadership with receiving bribes to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in this alleged scam and demanded that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu place all the files relating to the procurement of coal from abroad before the opposition parties.

Addressing mediapersons at Indira Bhavan here, Raghuveera Reddy said the State government was allowing two companies to import huge quantity of coal from abroad at higher rates, which were fixed in 2013 when coal price in the internal market was high, even now.

“Coal prices have decreased now from $ 70 to $ 50 because of lack of demand in the international market. Despite this, the TDP government is still allowing the two companies - Adani Group and Maheshwari - to import coal at the old prices. It is causing huge loss to the exchequer,” he claimed.

“In the entire scam, about Rs 1,000 crore of kickbacks have been received by the big boss and small boss of the TDP,” he alleged.

The APCC chief further explained that in 2013 in order to meet the demands of thermal power plants in the State, the then Congress government had imported 12 lakh MTs of coal. As per norms, the government could import 20 per cent coal over and above the quantity specified in the contract. But, the government continued the same old suppliers and old rates by renewing their contracts five times, ignoring the fall in prices, he said.