Govt yet to crack down on corruption in electricity board

Gyan Prakash, TNN 24 November 2009, 01:31am IST





PATNA: Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) seems to have become a money-spinning machine. Although crores have been siphoned off by the BSEB
mandarins, they are yet to be taken to task. The BSEB's vigilance cell has reported huge malpractices in the rural electrification scheme to the energy department.

The vigilance cell has reported that rural areas of the state have been electrified and hundreds of crores already paid to the concerned companies. Of course, this is on paper. The ground reality speaks otherwise, though. All this came to light just days before the Nitish Kumar government completed four years in office on Tuesday and the chief minister boasting the turnaround of a failed state.

Two public sector undertakings Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCI) and National Hydel Power Corporation (NHPC) were awarded contracts for rural electrification. While PGCI was given the contract for electrification of rural areas in 24 districts, NHPC got six and BSEB the remaining eight.

The rural electrification scheme was launched by the Centre as part of the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana in April 2005. This project was, in fact, initiated to provide electricty to rural areas and thereby bridge the rural-urban divide. This scheme was scheduled to be completed by 2008.

The BSEB vigilance cell, in its report to the energy secretary, mentioned that not even 10% of the electrified villages have been handed over while payment for 90% work on rural electrification was already made to two PSUs.

In its defence, PGCI as reported to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), blamed the state government and the BSEB for not making land available for setting up power stations and the list of BPL families, etc. PGCI has also alleged that 1,700 km of conductors were stolen, forcing them to reinvest in setting up infrastructure. When the vigilance cell sought details from PGCI, it was told that those were with the contractors (sub-letted ones).

CAG also mentioned that PGCI has also not deducted the Rs 86 crore by way of liquidity damage from its sub-letted contractors. The BSEB vigilance cell has reported that PGCI's project cost has shot up to Rs 589 crore. BSEB did not care to check even one of the several bills worth Rs 1,400 crore submitted by PGCI. Though PGCI was paid 90% of the cost of the original project, not even 10% fully electrified villages could be handed over to BSEB.

NHPC, on the other hand, claimed to have handed over 277 villages, fully electrified, to BSEB. GM (supply), BSEB, in his report dated September 9, however, mentioned that not even a single electrified village has been taken over by BSEB.