Kerala LoP Vijayan seeks judicial probe into power purchase deal

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's Leader of Opposition (LoP) Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday demanded a judicial probe, led by a sitting High Court judge, into the controversial power purchase agreements and the alleged corruption surrounding them.

This is the first time Vijayan has sought a judicial inquiry into the power purchase controversy, which has turned into a major political issue between the ruling UDF and the Opposition LDF.

Reacting to the cancellation of the short-term power purchase agreement through the GNA Energy OTC Platform, the LoP said the state government's decision had vindicated the Opposition's stand that there was no genuine power crisis in the state.

He alleged that the agreement was part of a major scam and that the state government was forced to withdraw only after the Opposition and the media exposed the alleged irregularities.

Vijayan claimed that the deal was pushed through at a high rate by involving a private intermediary which neither generated electricity nor functioned as a power trader.

He also alleged that the agreement was finalised by bypassing the objections raised by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and without following a proper tender process.

The former Chief Minister questioned the role of the Chief Minister's Office in the decisions.

He also alleged that Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph was kept in the dark about key developments, including the cancellation of the agreement.

He said this raised serious questions about the functioning of the state Cabinet and the principle of collective responsibility.

Vijayan also referred to the alleged purchase of 200 MW of power in October from V.E.N. Global at Rs 11 per unit.

He claimed that the arrangement was made through the Chief Minister's Office without a tender or approval from the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.

He sought answers on who benefited from what he described as an artificially created power crisis and why the state was made to bear the financial burden of costly purchases.

He also questioned the need for the proposed power purchase from Himachal Pradesh.

Demanding that all files related to the deals be made public, Vijayan said the proposed judicial inquiry should examine the role of the Chief Minister and all those involved in the decisions.

The demand comes after the V.D. Satheesan-led Kerala government decided to cancel the GNA linked agreement amid mounting questions over the terms of the power purchase.

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