By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 9: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — an ally of the NPP-led MDA coalition — has expressed concern over yet another scam in the Power department involving the USD 132.8 million Asian Development Bank funded smart meter project and has decided to request their allies to immediately hold an MDA coordination committee meeting to discuss the issue.
“We will take up the issue for discussion in the MDA coordination committee meeting. I would request them to call the MDA meeting soon,” State BJP president Ernest Mawrie said on Thursday.
Maintaining that the BJP mantra has always been “zero tolerance against corruption” Mawrie said that since allegations are being raised on the smart meter project it is necessary to discuss the issue and decide collectively as partners on what needs to be done to address it.
Pointing out that the State BJP has been quick to ask for inquiry on corruption issues in the past but isn’t doing so now, Mawrie explained that earlier things were different but now there is a platform — the MDA committee represented by the presidents of the coalition parties — to hammer out such issues.
Pressure groups question
shady deal with Satnam
The three pressure groups — KSU, FKJGP and HYC — have questioned the shady deal signed by the government for implementation of the ADB-funded project.
HYC president, Robertjune Kharjahrin lamented that there were too many questionable deals in the Power department.
“We have heard about the irregularities in the Saubhagya scheme and now in the Smart Meter project. A CBI inquiry is the only way to unearth all the irregularities in the MeECL. We urge the MDA partners to press for a CBI inquiry from the time James Sangma took over the Power department,” Kharjahrin said on Thursday, while adding that the judicial probe instituted by the state government was just eyewash.
According to him, nothing is going to emerge from the judicial probe since it has been constituted to protect the interests of the people in power.
“The government first appointed Justice (retd) Ifaqat Ali Khan of the Allahabad High Court as the head of the panel. Then, the government had to reconstitute it as the retired judge opted out after meeting with an accident. This only proves that it is only a time buying tactic of the government,” Kharjahrin said.
Pointing out that Delhi-based Satnam Global Infraprojects Limited got the contract for both the Saubhagya scheme and the smart meter project, Kharjahrin said, “It is totally unacceptable how a top official of the MeECL issued a fake completion certificate to the Delhi-based firm for installation of 25,000 smart meters in Meghalaya when not even a single smart meter was installed after issuing the work order.”
On the escalation of price by Satnam Global, he said, “We can find out the price escalation by comparing the rates of the tender notice and the work order.”
Echoing similar views, KSU president, Lambokstar Marngar said it was an open case of looting of public money.
The KSU president said they would meet shortly to discuss the mess in the Power department. “We are not going to allow the public to suffer just because of the corruption by people in power. It is really unfortunate that there is looting of public money by conniving with a firm from outside the state,” he said.
According to him, the people of the state are unsure about the implementation of the smart meter project. “The government needs to create awareness about the pros and cons of smart meters and how smart meters are going to benefit the people. Instead of taking this initiative, the people in power are swindling funds from the project,” the KSU president said.
FKJGP general secretary, Dundee C. Khongsit questioned the favouritism shown by the NPP-led Government to Satnam Global Infraprojects Limited. “It looks like the Delhi-based firm is owned by the state government,” Khongsit said.
Pointing out that the government had begun implementing the smart meter project when many citizens are yet to accept them, Khongsit said, “We fail to understand why the government is in a rush. We expect the government to implement smart meters as a pilot project in certain circles and divisions. It should look at the feasibility of this project.”