SHILLONG, Aug 18: Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a probe by a central agency into alleged irregularities in the power sector, particularly pertaining to the installation of smart meters and the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme.
Sangma hoped the PM will respond to his letter and institute an inquiry under the supervision of the ministries concerned. He believed this will send a strong deterrence against such illegal activities that affect the fiscal as well as socio-political health of the state.
The TMC leader claimed the government had set up the commission to probe the alleged irregularities without any specific terms of reference, indicating that the entire exercise was eyewash, skillfully scripted with an attempt to fool people.
On the smart meters, he said as per inputs and documents, there seems to be a huge difference in the rate quoted in the letter of award and the open market price.
Asked if the Opposition will demand the resignation of the then Power Minister James PK Sangma, he said it is yet to be established how many people were involved or whether it is a criminal conspiracy. He reiterated that only an independent probe can unravel the truth.
Stating that the report of the inquiry committee has been submitted to the government and it is not in public domain, Sangma said, “If the MDA government’s intent was honest, they would have given specific instructions regarding the terms of reference in the enquiry.”
The inquiry committee, headed by Justice (retd) RN Mishra, was set up in July last year and the report was submitted in March this year. It probed the alleged irregularities in the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited.
In the letter to the PM, Sangma wrote, “This pertains to a matter of urgent concern regarding massive financial irregularities in the smart meter contract awarded by the Government of Meghalaya. Considering the magnitude of irregularities, I wish to draw your kind attention to this.”
Giving out the details, he wrote the state government through tender number MePDCL/RE/T191/2019-20/Pkg-I invited the bid for supply of 1.8 lakh smart meters. Based on the bid received, the letter of award was then issued vide order No. MePDCL/CE(P)/T-191(Pt1)/EKH/2020-21/05 dated 16th February, 2021 to two bidders – Satnam Global Infraprojects Ltd and JPM Industries & Inhemeter Co. Ltd as joint venture partners.
He stated that as per the contract, the break-up includes ex-works price components of Rs 171,48,42,495 (which comes to about Rs 9,527 per meter) and GST component of Rs 30,86,71,649 (about Rs 1,715 per meter).
“With this, the total cost incurred by the Government of Meghalaya for one smart meter unit is Rs 11,242. Satnam Global Infraprojects Ltd installed Liberty 150 smart meters manufactured by Secure Meters Ltd headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. Whereas, the Joint venture of JPM Industries and Inhemeter Co. ltd installed Inhemeter DDZ1513,” he mentioned.
The leader of the Opposition said on verifying data from the open market, it turned out that the online retail price of single Secure Meters Ltd. Liberty 150 smart meters is Rs 5,500. Similarly, the online retail market price of single Inhemeter DDZ1513 is Rs 1,700.
“Therefore, there is a massive price discrepancy of Rs 137.55 crore between the price paid by the Government of Meghalaya for these smart meters and their price in the open market,” he added.
Pointing out that the Inhemeter Co. Ltd. being a Chinese company takes the financial viability away from local companies, he observed, “Awarding the contract to a Chinese company does not align with the core idea of Make in India. It also creates a security threat as these smart meters have SIM cards installed in them and are connected to the wider mobile Internet network which could allow malicious hackers and India’s adversaries to gain control of the entire power system in the state.”
Recalling that the PM has always held that there is zero tolerance for corruption in New India, he requested, “Your commitment to ensuring a corruption-free India gives me great expectations and hope that the Government of India will order an immediate inquiry into this matter through an appropriate central investigation agency.”
