Reacting sharply to the reports of his involvement in corruption, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju said that those who planted the news will get beaten up with shoes if they come to Arunachal Pradesh
“Jhoothe khayenge hamare yahan,” he told ANI reacting to the report that appeared in The Indian Express on Tuesday.
Ye jo plant kar rhe hain news,hamare yahan ayenge to joote khaynge,logon ki sewa krna corruption hai?:Kiren Rjiju on Arunachal Hydro Project pic.twitter.com/eNQWLf2ttg
— ANI (@ANI_news) December 13, 2016
The paper reported on Tuesday that Kiren Rijiju, his cousin, a contractor in Arunachal Pradesh, Goboi Rijiju and several top officials of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), including its Chairman and Managing Director, have been named in a 129-page 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.
Notedly, this is one of the biggest hydro-electric projects in Arunachal Pradesh in West Kameng, which is the minister’s parliamentary constituency.
Chief Vigilance Officer, Satish Verma of Eastern Electric Power Corporation has named several people, including the minister, sent to the CVC, Central Bureau of Investigation and the Ministry of Power in July, 2015, the report says.
Verma also submitted an audio CD of the purported conversation between him and Goboi on December 29, 2015. In the audio, Goboi is heard “pushing” Verma to sanction the payments. Goboi is also heard offering “any help you need from Bhaiya (Kiren).”
The CVO also alleged that CBI carried out two “surprise checks” but no FIR was registered.
As per Verma’s report, a number of fake and inflated bills were shown by the contractors to “allegedly siphon off money in the name of transporting rocks needed for construction of the dams.”
Verma’s report claimed that thousands of tonnes of rocks were taken to the project site, at least on paper, on scooters, bikes and cars even as several registration numbers provided by the contractor didn’t exist.
Besides the CVO’s report also alleges that the transportation cost was decided arbitrarily and several transport challans and records submitted by the contractor, Patel Engineering Limited (PEL), were fake.
According to reports, NEEPCO “pulled up” Verma for “unauthorised absence,” and transferred him to CRPF in Tripura soon after he sent the report.
Verma, however, claimed the absence was because of his investigation.
When asked whether he had written to the Ministry of Power to release funds to the contractor and his cousin Goboi Rijiju, Rijiju said that he indeed had written the letter but dismissed the allegations of any wrongdoing.
“It is a non-issue. Is trying to help people corruption?” he asked.
Ye khabar kisi ne badmaashi kar ke plant ki hai, haan letter maine likha hai par usme aisa kuch nahi hai. Non issue hai: Kiren Rijiju pic.twitter.com/Ch6XzL6c89
— ANI (@ANI_news) December 13, 2016
