SHILLONG, Dec 9: The MeECL has come under heavy fire from local contractors and suppliers for allegedly cancelling purchase orders as well as work orders under North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS).
The local suppliers and contractors have castigated the Meghalaya Power Transmission Corporation Limited (MePTCL), a subsidiary of the MeECL, for its purported, arbitrary and illegal action of cancelling as many as 11 purchase orders and 29 Letter of Awards amounting to more than Rs 9.38 crore issued to the empanelled local suppliers and contractors of the state.
The orders were issued out of the total project cost of Rs 49.80 crore funded by the DoNER Ministry for the work augmentation of the 132/33 KV Mawlai Sub-Station from 3×20 MVA to 3×50 MVA, along with re-engineering of the 132 KV Bus bar funded under NESIDS after a gap of about six months.
“Within six months, there were supplies of materials that have been made and substantial works that were executed on the ground. Bills for the same have been prepared by concerned offices and all these works were as per the Schedule of Rates,” the contractors said.
It was also informed that the Memorandum of Appeal (MoA) dated March 20, 2020, was placed against the cancellation to the then Chairman-cum-Managing Director, MeECL, but there was no response.
Another MoA dated July 10, 2020, was again placed and the response was that the previous MoA was not processed despite the fact that the same was duly received by the CMD’s office. With regard to the second MoA, it was informed that the matter is under scrutiny.
Furthermore, the suppliers said that no action has been taken on the latest-issued MoA, dated November 16, 2020.
It is also alleged that there has been an attempt to float fresh NIT for the project as a turnkey to a “predetermined party” from outside the state above the estimated cost.
“The predetermined party has sent feelers to some local suppliers and contractors not to protest, to the extent that supplies and works that were allotted to them and those that have been executed will be paid to the suppliers and contractors, even above the rates paid by the department,” the contractors and suppliers alleged.
“Conspicuously, when the project has been designed to be executed by the department, the question is what has prompted the MePTCL to shift to a turnkey execution and at whose instance. In this case, decisions adopted by the MeECL pointed to the fact that it was not done for the interest of the state and its people. The argument can be substantiated from the fact that MeECL has over 500 registered suppliers and contractors that are capable to take up works in the transmission and distribution utilities of the MeECL,” they said.
Stating that the MeECL has a pool of 700 engineers ranging from Junior Engineer-level to the Director-level, who are capable while some have even been trained abroad, it was informed that the MePTCL currently has no project at hand to execute and all officers are engaged to run only the transmission sub-stations and petty maintenance works.
Meanwhile, the MeECL has turned down a proposal from Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) for taking over of the MePDCL as franchise.
The Executive Director of the REC, who was here in Shillong on Wednesday, had proposed the idea only to be rejected by the MeECL straightaway.