Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, his cousin and several top officials of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), including its Chairman and Managing Director, were named in a report by the PSU’s Chief Vigilance Officer that alleges corruption in the construction of two dams for 600 MW Kameng Hydro Electric Project, one of the biggest hydro-electric projects in Arunachal Pradesh.
The report made on one of the biggest hydro-electric projects in Arunachal Pradesh, by CVO Satish Verma, was sent to the CBI, CVC and the Ministry of Power in July this year. It alleges an "elaborate conspiracy" involving contractors, NEEPCO officials and the West Kameng district administration to defraud NEEPCO and the government of funds that "may extend up to £45 million". While the CBI has made two "surprise checks" no FIR has been registered yet. Verma, a Gujarat IPS officer was pulled by NEEPCO for "unauthorised absence" and transferred to the CRPF in Tripura soon after his report. He blames his "absence" to his investigation.
Verma's report says there are several fake and inflated bills by contractors to allegedly siphon off money in the name of transporting rocks needed for the dam construction. Not only was the transportation cost decided arbitrarily, many transport challans and records provided by contractor, Patel Engineering Limited, were found to be fake. Records revealed MoS Rijiju wrote a letter to the Ministry of Power on November 4, 2015, to release funds to the contractor, and his cousin Goboi Rijiju went to meet Verma. The latter's report also has the audio CD of a purported conversation he had with Goboi, in which he is heard pushing the officer to clear the payments and offering "any help" he needs from Kiren.
The NEEPCO project which is on the verge of completion, includes two dams over the Bichom and Tenga rivers. Work on Kameng Hydro Electric Project started in 2005 after the tender for civil work at Bichom Dam, Tenga Dam, and a powerhouse at Kimi were all bagged by Mumbai-based Patel Engineering Ltd (PEL).
When Kiren was approached asking about his involvement, he replied, "I did write a letter to Ministry of Power to release funds to Patel Engineering (the contractor). But it was on the basis of a petition I had received from local contractors of the area. I had no idea it involved a scam. If it is a scam, it must be probed and those responsible must be punished. I am totally against corruption."
