Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) on Saturday rejected as ‘baseless’ the allegations made by former Minister and BRS leader T. Harish Rao on the implementation of roads under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM). Stating that the entire tender process was being carried out through e-procurement, Ms. Seethakka said several leading domestic firms as well as an international company had participated. She maintained that all procedures were being followed strictly in accordance with NHAI guidelines.

In a statement, the Minister said the HAM was introduced by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and has been successfully implemented by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) since 2016.