The Hindu : New Delhi News : Raj Nivas, Govt. under pressure to probe power privatisation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 18, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Raj Nivas, Govt. under pressure to probe power privatisation

Sujay Mehdudia

Residents' bodies write to Sonia, L-G over `sell-off' of the erstwhile DVB

NEW DELHI: With the issue of privatisation of power in the Capital reaching the court of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, pressure has once again mounted on the Delhi Government to order a probe into alleged bungling in the "sell-off" of the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board to private distribution companies.

The United Residents' Joint Association (URJA) has taken up the cause of lakhs of harassed consumers and petitioned the Congress president to order a probe into the whole process of power reforms as it had brought nothing but misery to the people. The focus once again is on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) that had pointed to a bungling of around Rs. 8,000 crores. This report was subsequently endorsed by the Delhi Assembly's Public Accounts Committee headed by senior Congress leader and MLA S.C. Vats that had indicted the Delhi Government and the Core Committee of bureaucrats that had negotiated the power privatisation of having gone out of the way to benefit big business houses and also monetary interests having influenced the award of contract for distribution of power network in the Capital in July 2002.

Adding to the woes of the Delhi Government is the Delhi Residents' Welfare Joint Front that has also cast aspersions on the process of privatisation of power and sought cancellation of license of BSES that distributes power in two major parts of the Capital. It is understood that a large number of RWAs' associations have also written to Delhi Lieutenant-Governor B.L. Joshi seeking a CBI probe into the whole deal. Interestingly, the Vats Committee report had been passed by the Delhi Assembly and sent to Raj Nivas as well as the Delhi Government for follow-up action.

"The Lieutenant-Governor, who had ordered a Central Vigilance Commission inquiry into the smart card scam, is also under pressure to order a probe into the privatisation of power. The CAG and Vats Committee reports are also indicative of the massive bungling that took place during that time and how the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board was deliberately turned sick to hand it over to the private sector," said a senior official.

It is learnt that the Congress general secretary in charge of Delhi affairs, Ashok Gehlot, has also been given a representation by the RWAs on the happenings in the private sector and how the Government was acting as spokesman of the private discoms. "We have written to Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Gehlot to bring out the factual position on the issue. Ms. Gandhi had intervened on the issue of privatisation of water that resulted in the whole exercise being abandoned. We want a similar intervention on the issue of power privatisation," said URJA Convenor Promod Chawla.

"The demand for a probe has not come from any political party but from the RWAs. It will be difficult for any party or Government to ignore such a demand when the MCD elections are hardly six months away," said a senior Delhi Minister.

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