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Patna,(BiharTimes): Reacting to the Centre’s reported move to cancel the NTPC’s contract to the Russian firm for the purchase of equipment for its Barh plant chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday sought an inquiry into the irregularities and payment of commission. Since 2006 the CBI has been probing the case of payment of kickback by Techno Prom Exports (TPE), a Russian firm, for procuring Rs 2,066 crore contract for the construction of NTPC power plant at Barh, the then parliamentary constituency of Nitish Kumar.
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The chief minister, however, said that the project should not be delayed because of the on-going inquiry. Nitish asked the Centre to find out the names of the recipients of the commission and initiate suitable action against them. He said that the Centre should ensure that the work is completed at all cost.
The project was sanctioned by the then NDA government and the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, laid its foundation stone in his two-day visit to Bihar on March 4-5, 1999. Bihar was then under the President’s Rule for 25 days.
The first unit of the project was to be commissioned by 2008 and the entire 2000 MW project was to be completed by 2009.
The project got off a slow start from the very beginning. Its foundation was again laid with much fanfare on September 12, 2001 by the then Union power minister, Suresh Prabhu. Nitish was then the railway minister of the country and the power plant was very much dear to him.
Meanwhile, reports from New Delhi said that the Centre is likely to cancel NTPC’s contract with Russian equipment firm. The contract was given by the NTPC in 2005 when it was headed by C P Jain.
The report said that the ministry of power has sent a proposal to the cabinet for canceling the contract. The CBI had registered a case in 2006 against the unknown officials of the NTPC, TPE and several others.
The CBI probe into the irregularities in awarding of the contract are yet to be completed as the agency is still awaiting more information.
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