Himachal: Allegations of corruption in Pekhwala project, BJP MLA Bikram Thakur surrounded Sukhu government:

News Topical, Digital Desk : The Pekhwala Hydro Power Project, built at a cost of crores of rupees in Una district of Himachal Pradesh, has once again come under the scanner. Former Industry Minister and MLA Bikram Thakur has raised questions on the irregularities related to this project and the functioning of the contractor company.

He said that due to heavy rains in Una on August 2, the Pekhwala plant was completely submerged in water. As a result, the plant had to be closed. Now it is difficult to run this plant.

'Result of technical mismanagement'

Bikram Thakur said, "The sinking of such an expensive project in a natural disaster is the result of technical mismanagement along with negligence. The company which was entrusted with the construction work was also given the responsibility to repair the plant for eight months. But this condition was completely ignored. The plant was supposed to generate 32 megawatts of electricity. Which is lying idle these days. This shows that quality has been compromised in the construction work."

'Why did you make full payment for an incomplete project'

He further said, "There was huge corruption in this project, for which Vimal Negi had to pay with his life. The government then appointed the accused officers to high positions. On what basis was 99 percent payment made to the contractor when the project was incomplete?"

The BJP leader said, "The DPR of this project was prepared in just 15 days and the work was started without checking it, which is a serious lapse. Late officer Vimal Negi was not in favor of this payment because he doubted the transparency of the project."

How did the cost increase from Rs 100 crore to Rs 240 crore?

He also said, "The estimated cost of the project was Rs 100 crore, but it increased to Rs 240 crore. An impartial agency should investigate whose role was behind this. When a similar plant was built in Gujarat for Rs 70 crore, why did the cost increase three times in Himachal. All this has happened with the consent and protection of the government. An impartial investigation of this entire matter should be conducted by an independent agency."