Chennai: Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO based in Chennai, on Tuesday, alleged a scam to the tune of Rs 6,066 crore in the import of coal by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco).
Based on documents collected through Right to Information (RTI)s filed and other public documents available online, a major scam in the Tangedco department has come to light, claimed Jayaram Venkatesan, convener, Arappor Iyakkam.
Addressing reporters, Jayaram Venkatesan said that Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) had given a five-month contract to a company named South India Corporation Ltd, headquartered in Chennai.
The contract, however, was extended for 18 years without a tender and a scam has been unearthed with regard to the payments to the Vishakapatnam port.
"TNEB and later Tangedco have reimbursed the contractor South India Corporation Ltd without obtaining the necessary documentary evidence causing huge loss to the exchequer," Jayaram said in a letter to the Directorate of Vigilance and AntiCorruption (DVAC).
Tangedco had paid Rs 1,267.49 crore as reimbursement for coal unloading charges between April 11 and March 2016 but the actual collection was Rs 239.56 crore only, says Jayaram who has asked that a case be filed under section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and other relevant laws and an investigation against all public servants including the heads of TNEB/Tangedco between 2001 to now, concerned Ministers during this period and South India Corporation Limited that colluded in doing this scam, he said.
