'Extremely serious matters behind this electricity contract'; Opp leader Pinarayi Vijayan against CM Satheesan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan levelled serious allegations, stating that the power shortage in Kerala is a sham. He was speaking to reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. Pinarayi remarked that the current weather conditions do not warrant a power shortage, yet the Chief Minister claims there is a crisis in the electricity sector. He also raised doubts over the power agreement with the private entity GNA Energy.

Pinarayi Vijayan:

“It is the Electricity Board that handles—and ought to handle—routine matters; the primary responsibility rests with them. The government’s decision to reject the approach is suspicious. The Chief Minister’s stance contradicts the Electricity Board and the Minister. One cannot help but wonder if there is something untoward—something that should not be happening in the normal course of events—lurking behind this. The Chief Minister claims that the decision to sign the contract was his own. The Chief Minister has no answer to the allegations of corruption.

GNA is not a power-generating company; it is a digital OTC (Over-the-Counter) platform. There is no answer as to whose electricity GNA is supplying. Electricity must be procured through transparent procedures. KSEB has conducted a detailed study. If the study is flawed, the government has the right to point that out—but it has not done so.

Rajamanickam was a capable officer; he brought these irregularities to light after examining the facts and realising that things were not in order.”

Meanwhile, information emerged that Minister Sunny Joseph opposed the purchase of electricity from GNA. A letter submitted to the Chief Secretary on October 19 states that the terms of the agreement are unknown, and that both the Board and the Energy Department favour purchasing electricity from Himachal.