Shillong, Nov 27: Despite government denial, the Opposition Congress has yet again stoked the issue of large-scale corruption in the power sector of the state and alleged that each and every programme of the power department that is Peing implemented is rigged by the current dispensation.
Leader of Opposition, Mukul Sangma on Friday referred specifically to Ganol Hydro Project and stuck to his gun that there was large-scale fudging of figures leading to loss of Rs 100 crore.
On Saubhagya scheme, he alleged, “The government has manipulated the tendering process to ensure that a predetermine bidder is qualified”.
He pointed out that the procurement of the materials constitutes more than 70 per cent of the project cost under the Centre’s flagship scheme Saubhagya which is under implementation.
Informing that the approved Schedule of Rates (SOR) which are based on market survey, for 9.5 metre of galvanized steel pole is Rs 16,900, the Leader of Opposition said that the selected bidder to implement the project has quoted Rs 24,126 for it in the Eastern region while the selected bidder for the Western range has quoted Rs 28,830 which is more than 70.59 per cent from the approved SOR.
He further pointed out that the approved rate for the 8.5 metre galvanized steel pole is Rs 12795, and the bidder implementing the project in the eastern part has quoted Rs 20,808 which is 62.63 per cent above the SOR while in the Western part, the bidder has quoted Rs 19,182 which is 49.92 per cent higher.
Pointing out more irregularities, the former CM also said that the approved rate for procuring ACSR weasel conductor is Rs 19,429 while the rate of the bidder which was accepted and awarded is Rs 43,879 in the eastern region and Rs 51,149 in the western region. He said that there is a difference of 163.26 per cent in the Garo Hills region.
Stating that if there were competition and if the bidding document was not tampered with, many of the bidders would have qualified.
“If there would have been competition and the price would have gone below, the state would have save around Rs 100 crore. This is how MeECL has been crippled,” he added.
“The issue raised by the Opposition has been reduced to a political narrative and the government is trying to play to the gallery. We are raising these issues with the intention to send a strong message and wake up call to everyone including the political parties,” he said.
Stating that it is not just the political parties but employees of the MeECL have also spoken, Sangma said, “Forget about Mukul Sangma, the MeECL employees who are insiders and know that modus operandi have started talking. Are they playing to the gallery? Can we jump to the conclusion that nothing is there?”
“Now this is something which we have to take seriously. The employees of the MeECL represent the whole human resource of this important organisation … MeECL is being used as a milch cow by the authorities and political leadership who are in the helms of affairs of governance,” he remarked.
