Dehra Dun: Alleging irregularities in the
allotment of a gas-based power plant to a private company at
Kashipur in Uttarakhand by the BJP government, the Congress
on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into the matter.
The state government gave undue benefits to Sravanthi
Energy Private Limited while sanctioning the 225-MW plant,
alleged senior Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat and party MLA
Kishore Upadhyay.
The project was sanctioned in violation of norms which
would cost the state exchequer Rs 4,000 crore in the next 30
years, they alleged at a press conference here.
As many as 46.75 acre of agriculture land was allotted
for the project after approval by the industy department in
gross violation of Union Forests and Environment Minister`s
clearance, they said.
The clearance allowed only 30 acres of non-agriculture
land for industrial use, the two leaders said.
Alleging a big scam, they said the project was okayed
by the state industry department to give benefits to Sravanthi
Energy.
"If the Power Ministry has approved the project, the
private company has to provide 12.5 per cent free electricity
of the total production as royalty to the state.
"If we calculate the loss to the state exchequer in the
next 30 years, it comes more to than Rs 4000 crore," said
Rawat, the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.
Moreover, the project was sanctioned without any
gas-based power policy in the state, he said.
"The gas-based power policy has now been okayed by the
state cabinet and has been sent to Raj Bhawan for approval,"
he said.
The two leaders asked the Pokhriyal Nishank government
to recommend a CBI probe into the allotment and threatened to
launch a stir if their demand was not met.
They also threatened to move the court if the probe
was not ordered.
PTI
