THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: How did the project cost of the first phase of the KSEB’s Transgrid project increase from `150 crore to `372 crore when the work was awarded? That was the question the Opposition raised in the Assembly on Tuesday. The matter even caused brief disruption of Question Hour proceedings after the Speaker cut short Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala’s lengthy queries on the project.
When question hour began, V D Satheesan pointed out anomalies in the Transgrid project, with a total estimate of `10,000 crore. He sought to know how an increase of `222 crore from the original estimate occurred in the project’s first phase itself. Power Minister M M Mani cited ‘unforseen expenses’ as the reason for the hike in the project cost. He cited half a dozen power projects during the previous UDF regime in which the project cost was revised 70 to 90 per cent from the original.
“The project was okayed by a Central Navaratna company and vetted by a number of senior officials of the KSEB. The state’s power sector will land in a crisis if unnecessary controversies are created by the Opposition,” Mani said.
Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said an order by the former Chief Secretary K M Abraham which laid down that all projects that exceed 10 per cent of its original estimate should be re-tendered. He wondered why this norm was not applicable to the KSEB’s Transgrid project. Mani said such a norm applied only to government departments and not to the KSEB.
Chennithala termed the Transgrid tender ‘exorbitant’ and said the project was a big scam. He wondered why only three companies were shortlisted in the pre-qualifying bid. However, his lengthy questions on the matter were repeatedly cut short by the Speaker. Irate UDF MLAs soon trooped to the well of the House. They shouted slogans against the Speaker’s action and disrupted proceedings for a brief while before being pacified.
Mani hit back at Chennithala saying he was trying to cover up the UDF’s drubbing in the recent bypoll.