Commission probing 'irregularities' in Telangana power sector serves notice to KCR
Hyderabad, June 12: The Justice L. Narasimha Reddy Commission, probing alleged irregularities in the power sector during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government in Telangana, has served notice to former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and others.
The Commission has served notices to 25 officials and others, seeking their explanation.
They include BRS President and then Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao, then Energy Minister G. Jagadish Reddy, Genco and Transco's former Chairman and Managing Director D. Prabhakar Rao and officials who served as Secretary of the Energy Department from 2014 to 2023.
Justice Reddy told media persons on Tuesday that Chandrasekhar Rao sought time till July 30 to submit his written explanation but the Commission asked him to give his explanation by June 15.
The Commission has also sought explanations from bureaucrats Arvind Kumar, Suresh Chanda, Sunil Sharma and others who served as Energy Secretary during the period. The Commission has summoned some of them to give their version in person and sought written explanations from some others.
Prabhakar Rao and Suresh Chanda appeared before the Commission on Monday and gave their statements. Justice Reddy said that the Commission would ask some of the persons on whom the notices were served in case their explanation lacked clarity.
The Commission was appointed in March this year to probe alleged irregularities in the 1,000 MW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Chhattisgarh Power Distribution Company Ltd and alleged irregularities in the execution of 4×270 megawatt Bhadradri Thermal Power Station (BTPS) and 5×800 MW Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS).
It received the information due diligence was not followed in the case of the PPA with Chhattisgarh. Though the MoU was signed in 2014, power was not supplied till 2017 and even that was stopped after three years. For BTPS, the then government used sub-critical technology instead of super-critical technology, leading not only to environmental issues but also to a higher cost of supply. The use of sub-critical technology for the 1,070 MW plant would consume additional coal worth Rs 250 crore to Rs 300 crore every year.
The Commission is also probing the allegation that the contract for YTPS was given to BHEL on a nomination basis, not by calling for tenders.