Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan has alleged that the govt is trying to push through an unjustified power purchase agreement with a private company at a higher rate, a move he said would burden the state exchequer with an additional Rs 727 crore.In a statement, Vijayan said the govt was planning to buy 500 MW of power from the company at Rs 8.63 per unit without the approval of the regulatory commission, even though electricity could have been procured at a lower cost. He also questioned why the govt had chosen to buy power during daytime hours, when demand is not high.According to Vijayan, a public sector power company in Himachal Pradesh had agreed to supply electricity, but the govt deliberately delayed its response, clearing the way for the private company to secure the deal.Vijayan also alleged that Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) officials who opposed the proposed arrangement were transferred in order to facilitate the deal. The chief minister’s office, he claimed, had intervened and pressured officials to go ahead with the agreement despite objections from the board and the power minister.The present power crisis was not sudden, Vijayan said, pointing out that the power minister had earlier assured that electricity would be procured from public sector companies. The govt had now abandoned that assurance and was planning transactions that would cause substantial losses to the state, he alleged.Vijayan demanded that the govt immediately make public all the files related to the proposed power purchase agreement, along with the dissent notes submitted by KSEB.
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