New Delhi: The outgoing state BJP government committed a corruption of over Rs 6000-cr in the purchase of power from two private electricity companies, the Congress alleged on Friday. The opposition party accused chief minister Vasundhara Raje of promoting cronies at the cost of state exchequer.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that the Raje-government paid nearly double the rate at which it had agreed to purchase power from one of the two private companies during 2013-18. Surjewala, claiming to have evidences obtained under the right to information Act, addressed a press conference here.

“The Raje-government’s power purchase agreement (PPA) with Raj West Power Ltd was at Rs 2.089 per unit but it actually paid the company at the rate of Rs 4.06 per unit, which is nearly double the agreed rate. This government purchased more than 27430 million units from Raj West in 2013-18,” the Congressman alleged.

He added, “The government’s PPA with Adani Power Raj Ltd was at Rs 3.24 per unit but it actually paid the private company at the rate of Rs 3.66 per unit. More than 32774 million units were bought from Adani Power in 2013-18 by this government.”

Surjewala further said, “The Raje-govenment bought power from a third private company too. There was no PPA with this company, the Coastal Gujarat (a subsidiary of Tatas), still the government purchased power from it at Rs 2.42 per unit. The government bought over 11876 million units from this company in 2013-18.”

The senior Congress leader alleged, “By paying at rates higher than the PPA, the government paid Rs 5406-cr in excess to Raj West Power Ltd and Rs 1376-cr in excess to Adani Power Raj Ltd. Thus, a total amount of Rs 6782-cr was paid in excess to the two companies.”

“The previous Congress government bought maximum power from NTPC, which is a government owned company, and charges at a lesser rate. Compared to present BJP government, the previous Congress government bought over 7661 million units more from NTPC,” Surjewala said. 

He alleged, “There was a conspiracy to buy private power at the cost of shutting down government owned power plants. The BJP government’s motto appears to be let private electricity companies make profits and let people and exchequer suffer.

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