Power scam: House panel pins Shobha for causing Rs 1,046 cr loss

DHNS
November 22, 2017

Belagavi Nov 22: In what appears to be a tit-for-tat move, a Legislative Assembly committee headed by Energy Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday indicted BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje for causing a loss of Rs 1,046 crore by favouring a private firm when she was the energy minister in the BJP government.

The House committee set up to look into irregularities in power purchases between 2004 and 2014, has recommended "appropriate probe" into Shobha's actions when she was the energy minister in the government headed by B S Yeddyurappa. The committee tabled its report in the Assembly on Tuesday.

The report is seen in the political circles as a counter to the BJP, which had recently accused Shivakumar of being involved in a Rs 447-crore coal scam.

In 2009, the state government initiated the process of long-term (25 years) purchase of 2,000 mw from private companies. Five companies made bids, and this was placed before the Cabinet for final approval in May 2011. This included JSW Energy Limited, which quoted Rs 3.812 per unit for 25 years.

"The then energy minister Shobha Karandlaje opined that the per-unit cost that companies quoted was more compared with that of other states. Hence, the tender was cancelled. Subsequently, the government purchased power from JSW Energy at high rates and not Rs 3.812 per unit it had earlier quoted," the report states.

From 2011 to 2013, a total of 12,038.75 MU was purchased from JSW Energy costing Rs 1,046 crore. Power was purchased at Rs 4.41 to Rs 4.99 per unit during this period, the report observed.

The committee also flagged a land deal involving the same company. "When seen in the backdrop of power being purchased at a high cost, it is suspicious that JSW Energy purchased land by paying more than what it was valued at," the report said. However, it has not mentioned the details of the land deal.

The committee has also observed that JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister in October 2007 caused a loss of Rs 63 crore by approving an inflated contract for transportation of coal. Also, in 2007, the government purchased 40,195.31 mu power at a cost of Rs 7,882.92 crore. The very next year, the government purchased 41,821.26 MU for Rs 10,664.32 crore - an additional Rs 2,781 crore.

Interestingly, the committee has not recommended any probe into irregularities that have happened during Kumaraswamy's tenure as the chief minister. His elder brother H D Revanna was the energy minister then.

Also, between 2002 and 2008, the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) incurred a loss of Rs 1,590.31 because of coal washing contracts. From 2004 to 2014, the state government failed to utilise 3,844 MU supplied from central power plants costing Rs 899.50 crore. In the same period, the state lost 1,05,508 MU in transmission losses.

All put together, irregularities in power purchases have caused Rs 6,379 crore losses.

"The committee recommends the government to identify those responsible for causing losses to the exchequer and initiate action against them."

Comments

SHAJI
 - 
Thursday, 23 Nov 2017

This hate monger lady had earned crores of rupees illegaly while she was minister.  CBI should investigate her income + property + bank acconts both in india and switzerland.   She had done no favor to public, but to herself by increasing her wealth.   she should be arrested immediately.

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News Network
June 18,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 18: Examination for PU II English paper, which was postponed for more than three months due to threat of Coronavirus, was held on Thursday across the state.

The authorities were forced to postpone the examination of the English subject, scheduled in March, abruptly due to the threat of Covid-19 which spread like wildfire and has so far claimed lives of more than 100 in the state.

There are over 1,016 examination centres across the state. All the students were put to thermal scanners and were ensured wearing face masks. Each centre has sanitisers. Those with cold, cough and fever were assigned a separate room.

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News Network
May 25,2020

Kasaragod, May 25: An autorickshaw driver from Belur in Kasaragod was admitted for surgery to a hospital after being hit on the head by a falling jackfruit. He was tested positive for the coronavirus. It is not clear how he contracted the viral infection.

“While he was trying to pluck a jackfruit off a tree, one of them fell on him, injuring his spine. His hands and legs were weakened too. His condition required surgery. Our protocol dictates that we subject everyone who require immediate surgery to the covid test, just to be sure. That’s when he tested positive,” said Dr K Sudeep, superintendent of the Pariyaram Medical College in Kannur.

“He had symptoms of Covid-19. But he has no recent travel history or contact with any infected person. We’re not sure if he got it through one of his passengers in the rickshaw. He had visited the district hospital once so he could have got it from there. Anyway, we are examining it and preparing the route maps,” he added.

His family will be quarantined and health workers have begun to trace his immediate primary contacts.

Though there have been a number of cases in Kerala where a person’s source of infection could not be correctly ascertained, such people have gone on to recover without spreading the infection to others.

The Kerala government is conducting testing of high-risk persons on the frontlines, such as police officials, grocery vendors and health workers, as part of its sentinel surveillance programme, but maintains that there’s little evidence of a community spread in the state.

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News Network
July 17,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 17: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday held a meeting with the Ministers-in-charge of eight zones to take stock of the COVID-19 situation and its management in Bengaluru.

Yediyurappa suggested that it should be ensured that both COVID-19 and other patients get timely treatment. He advised home quarantine for asymptomatic patients and hospitals and COVID Care Centers would provide treatment for those who are severely symptomatic.

He said, Rapid Antigen Testing should be carried out for those who died in the hospital, for immediate delivery of the corpse for funeral arrangements. He also said to conduct Rapid Antigen Test for those who have died at home and take action for the funeral of the dead.

The chief minister said, lockdown is not a solution to COVID-19 control, he made it clear that the government has no plans to continue with the lockdown in Bengaluru.

"To fill the shortage of doctors, the process of filling vacancies is ongoing," he said.

"Volunteers are identified and ambulances are assigned to each ward.  Strict action should be taken if private hospitals do not provide beds to patients," the Chief Minister said.

The chief minister said volunteers and nodal officers would be appointed to provide information on the enrollment and availability of beds to COVID-19 infected persons in private hospitals.

"Welfare pavilions and lodges have been identified in each ward, suggesting the use of quarters to quarantine those who do not have separate rooms," the Chief Minister said.

He said, allocate bed within two hours of the result of the test and the ambulance must take action to take the person to the hospital. The Chief Minister suggested that the system be decentralised, zoned, and monitored.

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