UDP demands independent probe into irregularities in MeECL

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 29, 2021

The United Democratic Party (UDP) on Thursday demanded the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government to institute an independent inquiry into the corruption allegations against the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL).

In his letter to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, UDP chief Metbah Lyngdoh said, “It would be in the fitness of things to institute an independent inquiry to unearth the truth on all the allegations and also to restore the confidence of the general public.”

Lyngdoh, who is also currently the Assembly Speaker, added, “Without putting the blame on anyone at this juncture, those at the helm of affairs should be removed forthwith for a free and fair inquiry.”

He said the demand was made based on the several complaints received from various quarters and allegations relating to the functioning of the MeECL. 

“The allegations appear to be of serious nature and warrants immediate intervention so that corrective measures can be in place to restore and bring about an effective functioning of this very important power sector,” he asserted.  

The allegations highlighted in the letter to the Chief Minister include corruption in the implementation of the Saubhagya scheme, Smart meters, appointment of adviser to CMD, power theft and others.

Lyngdoh said it was learnt that there are flaws right from the beginning of the tendering process till the implementation stage of the Saubhagya scheme in the state which has resulted in huge losses of more than Rs 100 crores.

He said in the recently concluded Assembly session, it was informed on the floor of the house that the cost of each smart meter is Rs 3,400. However, it is learnt that the derived costing per meter is Rs 9,444 which is contradictory.

“It is also learnt that the sitting of the Board of Directors, MeECL to decide matters worth hundreds of crores in just 15 minutes is also questionable,” he stated.

Regarding the enterprise resource planning, the UDP chief said this scheme has several items at exorbitant rates e,g, the rate of a normal PC (which is outdated) with chair, table, UPS etc is more than Rs 3 lakhs each and the supply of 100 nos, such PCs has resulted in losses of crores of rupees.

Questioning the appointment of adviser to CMD, he said the appointment of Manish Gupta as an advisor to the CMD, MeECL on Pro Bono basis who is currently working as Assistant Manager at Arunachal Pradesh Power Corporation Private Ltd, (a trading firm where MeECL purchase power) is a total conflict of interest.

He continued that the appointment of Arkajyoti Bhattacharjee as Assistant (Techno-commercial) and Sunny Kumar Singh as Assistant (Finance-Commercial) without following due procedures is in violation of the state’s interest.

Stating that the proposed outsourcing of the 33/11kV substation to outsiders will surely attract stiff opposition from different angles, he said this has to be properly examined before implementation.

Lyngdoh has also stated that the special tariff to the Byrnihat Industries Association @Rs 4.90 per unit i.e., lower than the public tariff is not healthy and resulted in huge financial losses to the corporation.

“It is also learnt that the One Time Settlement Scheme was also extended to the live industrial consumer which again resulted in losses to MeECL at about Rs 17 crore,” he said.

“As it is understood that swapping and banking of power is a normal practice where power during the dry season is taken from outside source and the same is returned during the monsoon season with some extra power. Of late it is learnt that this practice is stopped where only trading of power is followed. It is believed that the recent power shutdown is attributed to this as MeECL has no power bank at its disposal and has to only purchase power at high rates resulting in huge financial losses,” he further added.

As far as the issue of alleged power theft is concerned, the UDP leader said the allegation of the CMD, MeECL as appeared in the media that massive power theft occurred in connivance with the officers is also a cause of concern.

The party has expressed its strong reservation against the recent appoint of a junior officer as Director (Distribution) of the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL).

Lyngdoh said the post of Director (Distribution) has been lying vacant since September 2020 after the retirement of Samuel Diengdoh and the same has not been filled up for more than seven months despite the fact that there are several Chief Engineers eligible for the post.

“MK Chetri, who was promoted as Chief Engineer (Electrical) in March 2020 was recently appointed as Director (Distribution) by superseding five other senior Chief Engineers. This will bring an unhealthy working environment in the department,” he stated.