NEW DELHI, July 29: The Trinamool Congress on Friday accused the Meghalaya government of compromising on the country’s security by allowing a third party to install Chinese smart meters.
Senior TMC leader Saket Gokhale, who is also a party spokesman, said the new smart meters installed in the households of Meghalaya pose a threat to national security, as these are manufactured by a Chinese company. These meters are fitted with smart cards linked to all power networks in India.
In a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who is also the Power minister, the TMC leader expressed serious concerns over the smart meter project. He cited media reports of “state backed hackers from China carrying out cyber attacks and shutting down power infrastructure in other countries as a part of cyber warfare.”
Gokhale pointed out that the Centre had in 2020 made an amendment to the General Financial Rules, 2017 banning bidders from countries that share a land border with India on the grounds of national security.
“However, prima facie Meghalaya government found a way to circumvent the rules by offering the contract to Satnam Global Infra Project Ltd (an Indian company) and allowing it to procure the smart meters from China which is in violation of rules pertaining to national security,” he said.
The TMC leader sought clarifications from the Meghalaya government on whether approval was obtained from the Government of India for installing these Chinese smart meters with SIM cards which connect them to telecom/internet network.
“It is baffling that the Meghalaya government and the MeECL still decided to proceed with the installation of China-made smart electricity meters with SIM cards, which is also a gross violation of India’s national security policies,” Gokhale said.
He said these smart meters are manufactured by China-based company lnhemeter with its headquarters at 8/F & 9/F, 1A, Software Park, Southern Hi-Tech Zone, Nanshan district, Shenzhen, China.
The Trinamool leader asked the Meghalaya government if security audits were conducted and the smart meters tested for backdoor vulnerabilities before the installation process began in the state.
Given the purported security risks involved, he asked if the Meghalaya government has any plans to roll back the project.
“This is an important and pressing issue that not only pertains to the security of Northeast India but also has great ramifications on the power infrastructure and grid of India as a whole,” Gokhale said.
The Shillong Times had, in September last year, reported that the MeECL not only overstepped bureaucratic machination to favour a cherry-picked firm for the contract but also defied the Centre’s categorical instruction not to deal with Chinese companies.
That Satnam Global Infra Project Ltd had procured Chinese smart meters was a sufficient reason to snub the firm at the scrutiny stage. But the authorities conveniently overlooked the fact that it had entered into a business deal with the Chinese company.
According to documents available with The Shillong Times, Secretary to the Power department Pravin Bakshi in an official letter written to then MeECL CMD Arunkumar Kembhavi on April 19, 2021 had sought a clarification on the issue.
“This is to inform you that a query has hereby arisen regarding the ADB smart meter project in which the LOA has been awarded to Satnam Global Infra Projects Ltd and JPM Industries Ltd and Inhemeter Co Ltd,” the letter said.
It further said Inhemeter Co Ltd is a Chinese company and the Government of India had in July, 2020 amended the General Financial Rules, 2017 to enable imposition of restrictions on bidders from countries which share a land border with India on grounds of defence of India or matters directly or indirectly related thereto including national security.
“Earlier on the same matter, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (Public Procurement Section), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, had raised certain queries regarding restrictive trade practices,” Bakshi had said.
He had also stated that as seen from media reports, Energy Efficiency Services Ltd shall not import Chinese meters given that these are connected to the electricity distribution network, which is a sensitive sector.
