THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala on Sunday said the alleged corruption in ANERT had links with an illegal appointment there. Chennithala had recently demanded a comprehensive probe into alleged irregularities in the Rs 240-crore tender floated for installing solar pumps under the PM-KUSUM scheme.
The former Leader of Opposition said the executive assistant of ANERT was hired by a consultancy firm illegally. The firm hired him at a high salary and deputed him to ANERT as the CEO’s executive assistant. The person had earlier assisted the CEO in the procedures to appoint the firm as ANERT’s consultant, Chennithala said.
“This shows how the firm got the consultancy contract,” he said. Further, Chennithala said ANERT receives funds worth crores from the Union and state governments.
“None of the ANERT staff has a role in the tender procedures to spend these funds. Either temporary staffers or private consultancy firms are involved in such procedures,” he said.