By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 9: The Meghalaya Government seems unlikely to order an independent probe into the $132.8 million ADB-funded Smart Meters project but would not mind if the on-going judicial investigation delves into it.
Chief Secretary, MS Rao while reacting to the report appearing in The Shillong Times on Thursday said that the Government has not ordered any probe following revelations of another scam in MeECL.
Rao however said that judicial inquiry already ordered can look into this also if a complaint is made.
It may be mentioned that Meghalaya Government has ordered a probe into the allegations of corruption in MeECL and it is being headed by a retired judge of Allahabad High Court.
Meanwhile, there has neither been any reaction to the expose from any of the parties involved nor is there any contradiction from MeECL. However, Advocate General Amit Kumar in a statement (see details on editorial page) clarified that he had merely cleared the eligibility of single bidder in a tendering process as legally tenable. He however asserted that no name was forwarded to him for such clearance. Therefore, he pointed out that it was erroneous to say that he gave green signal for awarding the contract specifically to Satnam Global Infrastructure Ltd.
As per the documents which are in possession of The Shillong Times, Satnam Global Infraprojects Limited is the primary beneficiary of the project that barely got implemented before hefty payments were released with direct connivance of some top brass of the Corporation.
Documents reveal that the Delhi-based firm managed to get Chief Engineer (Projects) of Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL), SB Umdor to issue a fake completion certificate for installation of 25,000 smart meters in Meghalaya, when in fact the Asian Development Bank which is financing the project through a USD 132.8 million loan, in a damning report has come down heavily on Satnam Global for failure to install and activate even a single smart meter six months after issuing the work order.
The ADB had also pointed out among many other recommendations that the meters installed in East and West Garo Hills would not be considered as completed/commissioned unless the meters are connected to AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) system.