CBI digs into Rs 71 crore BHEL supply scam

The CBI FIR states that BHEL officials had violated the rules and delivered turbines and other heavy machinery worth crores, to be used for thermal power plants in Jharkhand and Visakhapatnam, by collecting only advances without total payments. According to sources in CBI, Abhijit Infra had initially paid 10 per cent advance while placing orders for the thermal plant and had got all the equipment delivered without full payment.

“Officials of CM and DGM ranks, who were with the marketing department of BHEL Hyderabad, were also named in the case for their connivance with the private company. An FIR has been issued and investigation is in progress. The same company, Abhijit Infra, also figured in the coal scam. There are other companies too,” said a CBI source.

BHEL in August 2010 had struck an agreement with Abhijit Infra to supply equipment worth Rs 2,525 crore for a 1080 MW thermal power plant in Jharkhand.

The contract involved supplying and installing the main plant package for Phase-I and Phase-II of Abhijit’s coal-based Matr-ishri Usha Jayaswal Mega Power Plant, located at Latehar district of Jharkhand, near Ranchi.

In 2013, BHEL had stopped supply as the outstanding payments from Abhijit and other companies had mounted to more than Rs 2,000 crore. CBI has also charged Jas Infrastructure and Power Ltd, a subsidiary of the Abhijit Group. The group is also setting up a power plant in the Atchyuthapuram SEZ in Visakhapatnam.