Mumbai: The BJP in Maharashtra on Wednesday handed over documents in connection with the massive corruption in the Power sector to Deputy Chief Minister and State Power Minister Ajit Pawar to support their allegations.
"A whopping Rs 73,000 crore were robbed by the state power department in the last ten years. Factors like corruption in purchase of coal, unnecessary expenditure on basic infrastructure among others were the main reasons behind this corruption," Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, Vinod Tawde alleged today.
The BJP leader, who was accompanied by 11 other legislators, submitted 2,014 pages of documents in connection with the corruption to Pawar, who assured them that he would look into the matter.
"Pawar has suggested names of five officers out of which we have to select one. The officer who will probe into the matter will be of the rank of Additional Chief Secretary and he will have the knowledge of the power sector," he said.
Nearly Rs 20,963 crore were spent by Mahagenco in last eight years to start new thermal power stations and for the maintenance of the old ones, Tawde added.
He also said that since expensive coal was purchased by the government, it is facing corruption to the tune of Rs 3,286 crore since last six years.
"Even though the power generation has decreased at Chandrapur and Parli thermal stations since 2004-2005, the use of Furnace oil has doubled in all these years," he said.
During the last session of Maharashtra Legislature, Tawde had alleged that three power companies in the state had indulged in large-scale corruption.
Replying to his allegations, Pawar had assured the state Assembly that he was ready to initiate probe into the matter by a senior bureaucrat.
