Civil society group, Thma U Rangli-Juki (TUR) has demanded that Power Minister James Sangma take full responsibility for alleged mismanagement in the Power Department, which has unduly benefitted private firms and will cost the state hundreds of crores of rupees.
In a press release today, TUR said that Sangma has presided over Meghalaya’s “biggest instance of financial irregularity” by “gifting” Rs 450.75 crore to private companies.
Based on publicly available documents and leaks from disgruntled Meghalaya Energy Corporation Ltd (MeECL) staff in newspapers, TUR said that the accusations must act as an eye-opener for Meghalayans about the “crony capitalist business of the MDA (Meghalaya Democratic Alliance) government.”
In the release, TUR said that in the Saubhagya scheme, a central government project to electrify rural households, the state government has unduly favoured two companies – Satnam Global Infra Projects Ltd (in the eastern range) and Onycon Enterprises (western range) – calling the tendering process an eyewash.
Both companies have overcharged on even basic supplies, such as cement, so that the “total scam amount” equates to Rs 293.75 crore.
The onus, TUR said, is on the government to be open to an independent investigation, which should be led by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The state’s Smart Meter project has also been awarded to Satnam and TUR points to the high cost of these smart meters, which are being billed at Rs 9,444 per unit, when they can be obtained for less than Rs 3,000.
“Even if we assume O&M (operation and maintenance) and installation charges, Satnam Global, the MDA government’s favoured company, has quoted three times more than what EESL (Energy Efficiency Service Ltd) is offering in other states,” TUR said.
Satnam was the only bidder for this project.
“These are just two of the major schemes riddled with an obvious case of financial and administrative irregularity,” the group added.
Besides the resignation of Sangma, TUR wants the replacement of the Chairman and Managing Director as well as the board of directors of MeECL with “persons of impeccable integrity and administrative and financial acumen.”
It also demanded a halt in the implementation of these schemes and halt in payment to Satnam and Onycon, as well as the placing of the bid documents in the public domain.
TUR also supported the whistleblowers who have leaked incriminating documents to the press.
“We demand that the harassment of officers in the form of transfers and suspensions, as a result of them highlighting the anomalies and refusing to be part of this looting, should immediately stop. We stand in solidarity with the engineers and workers of MeECL who blew the whistle and in doing so have exemplified what it is to be foremost a citizen who upholds the interest of all against the interest of a few and who are working for the larger interest of the state,” TUR concluded.
