THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Wednesday demanded a comprehensive probe into alleged irregularities in the Rs 240-crore tender for the installation of solar pumps under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme.
Chennithala released a set of documents that point to serious violations in the tendering process managed by the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ANERT). He alleged that the tender was illegally issued by the ANERT CEO, who is only authorised to sanction tenders up to Rs 5 crore.Chennithala questioned how a Rs 240-crore tender was floated without written approval from the government. He claimed that the entire tender process was flawed and pointed out that a company named Kondass Automation was allowed to make corrections after the tender was submitted, an act he said was highly irregular. “How can changes be allowed after the tender is opened?” he asked.
According to Chennithala, most of the contracts were awarded at more than double the benchmark rate fixed by the central government for solar pump installations. “There is a difference of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per unit in contracts for systems ranging from two kW to 10 kW. This inflated the total project cost by around Rs 100 crore,” he said, adding that the project is being funded by a Rs 175-crore loan from NABARD.
He also raised concerns about the grading system used to select companies for implementation. Power Minister K Krishnankutty has directed the power department additional chief secretary to conduct a probe into the allegations.