THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Raising his demand for a comprehensive probe into alleged irregularities in ANERT (Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology), senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Friday said Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty is also involved in the scam. Chennithala alleged irregularities in a Rs 240-crore tender issued for installing solar pumps under PM-KUSUM scheme.
It’s the second time Chennithala is raising the issue. He has called for legislative scrutiny and accused the power minister of being involved in the alleged scam. Chennithala alleged that ANERT CEO Narendranath Veluri exceeded his authority by sanctioning the tender, despite being permitted to approve contracts only up to Rs 5 crore. Chennithala said he would release more documents in the coming days related to the project.
Both the minister and the ANERT CEO dismissed the allegations, stating that all relevant files had already been reviewed by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Speaking to TNIE, Veluri said, “The CAG has examined all our files and found no irregularities. Kerala is the only state that successfully implemented the PM-KUSUM project, and our model has even been shared with Telangana. Details of the implementation are available with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. This allegation seems to be a politically motivated.”
Chennithala alleged that the tender bypassed the finance wing of the state secretariat. Meanwhile, TNIE found that the Principal Accountant General, Kerala Audit, has already gone through the ANERT files. The audit report dated September 30, 2023, flagged delays in floating tenders and awarding contracts. It noted that ANERT had not invited tenders for 35,652 pump sets despite receiving sanction in August 2022. Sources said this happened due to financial crunch, and no other irregularities were highlighted in the report.
Minister Krishnankutty told TNIE, “I have nothing to hide. The CAG has reviewed all the files and found no issues. If Chennithala produces evidence of corruption, we are ready to examine it.”