Corruption behind cancellation of long-term contract; Chennithala asks whether power minister is ready for public debate

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala asked whether the power minister is ready for a public debate on the corruption behind the cancellation of long-term contracts signed by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). He also said that KSEB had given a letter of award to the Adani Group in 2021 as the first step in bringing the Adani Group into Kerala's electricity distribution sector.

'When this issue was raised in 2021, the chief minister and others said the opposition leader is talking nonsense? There were organized efforts during this government to create irregularities in the contract to purchase cheap electricity. Following that, it was cancelled. If there were irregularities in the contract, why was this contract not cancelled during the first Pinarayi government? Why was action not taken against the officials who were at the helm of this contract? The government has the responsibility to answer questions like this.

‘The Kerala government should also answer people on who will take responsibility for the loss of Rs 3000 crores incurred by the Kerala Electricity Board through these mysterious 'unfriendly corporate' actions of the government. Who will take responsibility for the government losing policy powers under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003? Is the government ready for a judicial inquiry or a CBI inquiry into the corruption behind the cancellation of the long-term contract? I challenge the power minister for a public debate on this issue,' said Chennithala.