Jamshedpur : Senior BJP leader Saryu Roy has written to the Chief Secretary, Govt. of Jharkhand, to take immediate action against corruption and anarchy prevalent in the Electricity Department of Jharkhand Government and Jharkhand State Electricity Board due to involvement of politicians, administrators, engineers and managers.
He expressed concerns irregularities found in the repair and safety measures regarding the Sikidiri Hydel Power Project. He said that an amount of Rs.20 crores has been estimated to be swindled from the state exchequer due to the collective connivance of the Managers of Jharkhand Electricity Board and BHEL, apart from engineers involved in the project, out of which, a sum of Rs.4.17 crores has already been spent / paid. The engineers of Sikidiri Electricity Project had estimated an amount of about Rs.2.68 crores to be spent on the project with an additional Rs.2 crores to be spent on essential items. However, an amount of Rs.23.45 (including tax) was given to BHEL & BHEL, in turn, sub-let this job to a private firm in Delhi by the name �Northern Power Erectors Ltd.� For Rs.15.30 cores (including tax). This firm delayed the work by several months, showed the job as �complete� despite being �incomplete� due to which a loss of about Rs.30 crores was incurred by the Board by the time of its commissioning.
� The board did not bother to question BHEL as to why it sub-let the job to a private firm and instead, BHEL went ahead with full speed & spent more than the amount required for this project, a clear case of corruption. Did anyone from the Electricity Board keep a member (s) of the team of directors in dark about this deal? If yes, then why was no action taken on my letters sent different authorities like the office of chief minister, chief secretary, energy secretary & the finance secretary? This did not happen for one time but for about half-a-dozen times. Why didn�t a proper investigation take place or the process hindered?,� Roy wrote in the letter.
� I posted a letter to the chief secretary of Jharkhand govt. highlighting a few selected examples of corruption and mismanagement in energy department and Jharkhand state electricity board on February 9 last. I thank the CS for the keen interest he has promptly taken in this regard. The CS yesterday took trouble to inform me that “he has asked the secretary, energy deptt., Jharkhand to give a report to him soon. I wish the new energy secretary will respond quickly and place the true picture to CS without techno-political hindrances and pressures. The techno-political vested group ruling roost in energy sector of Jharkhand may go up to any extent to influence the report. In fact a techno-political mafia group has recently emerged very powerful in last 4-5 years at the central Govt. Institutions in Delhi and is active to defame their own institutions such as BHEL, PFC, CEA and PGCIL etc.
Such acts of willful corrupt practices under active patronage of the people seating at the helms of power in the state are directly eating away the plan, non plan and central grants/loans/assistance allocations and putting excessive financial burden over already stressed state exchequer of Jharkhand . Such acts are in fact anti people and are bound to lead the state towards unbearable debt trap added with techno-political vested interest mafia groups.