SHILLONG, April 15: Fresh evidence revealing cases of high-profile corruption, allegedly practiced by the engineers, emerged in the cash-strapped Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL).
According to sources, an officer, who was serving as a Junior Engineer during the construction of Leshka Hydro Power project, gave orders of civil work to his own brother’s company and similarly, one of the senior officers, who was working as Chief Engineer and posted as officer on special duty in Garo Hills, got lucrative works allotted in his mother’s name.
The sources also revealed that one of the current serving Technical Directors awarded multiple works in the ongoing Riangdo hydro power project to his own relative’s company. This officer is said to be constructing a massive resort in Sohra.
The sources said many officers have bought large farmhouses and built resorts in places including Sohra and Ri Bhoi from the ill-gotten wealth. JD Complex in Lower Mawprem is owned by a senior MeECL union member, who recently made allegations against the government.
The sources wondered how these officers were able to buy the costly complexes and resorts from their salary. Insiders said on the strict condition of anonymity that vehicles hired by the MeECL for official purposes are owned by the relatives or family members of a serving MeECL officer.
The fresh revelation has come just days after this daily exposed Pradip Kumar Chullet, who had awarded tenders to IS Enterprise, a firm owned by his wife, without the assessment of its technical experience and deliberately removed mandatory requirements of expertise for works.
He had allegedly also split large quotations into around 106 small quotations below Rs 50,000 to avoid floating of tenders so that they could be directly awarded to the firm. He had allegedly issued orders on a Sunday.
There are allegations galore that these senior officers are using the names of the union and other associations for vested interests, thereby defeating the purpose of unions and associations in big corporations like the MeECL.
The MeECL, by virtue of being the largest state PSU, provides employment to more than 5,000 people.
The sources said one of the major reasons behind the deterioration of the MeECL’s financial health is poor quality of works like Leshka hydro electric project, constructed at three times the original cost and billed as the white elephant of Meghalaya. Due to poor quality and faulty design, the project is suffering vibration and not able to run to its full capacity.
The sources urged the government to take strong action against those involved in the corrupt practices.