Maniyar hydropower project; K Sudhakaran and VD Satheesan allege corruption in contract

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: KPCC president K Sudhakaran MP has alleged that the Pinarayi government's move is to hand over Kerala's power sector to private monopoly companies and the move to extend the contract of the 12 MW Maniyar hydropower project to Carborundum Group for another 25 years is huge corruption.

Congress will come out with a strong agitation against this. The Chief Minister, the Industry Minister and the Power Minister are trying to extend the contract without even telling the cabinet when the 30-year BOT contract period is about to expire in December. K Sudhakaran said that the project, which is beneficial to the electricity board, which is running at a loss of Rs 45,000 crore, is being sold to a private company for financial interests.

Scam in extension of Maniyar contract: VD Satheesan

Opposition leader VD Satheesan said that there is a corruption of crores behind the government's attempt to retain the control of the Maniyar hydropower project in a private company, bypassing the opposition of the Electricity Board.

Maniyar project was awarded to Carborundum Universal for 30 years. After 30 years the scheme has to be returned to KSEB. However, the project was not returned and it has been decided to extend the contract for another 25 years. With this, the electricity board will incur an average loss of 18 crores per year. The government is giving the project to a private company when people are worried about the increase in electricity rates and the electricity board is facing a financial crisis.

The Industries Minister is behind the deal. The transaction was done with the knowledge of the Chief Minister. The project should be returned to KSEB. Satheesan pointed out that if the electricity of 18 crores that would have been received annually through the Maniyar project was included in the annual budget of KSEB, the people would have benefited from it.