Activists seek inquiry into coal scam in Tangedco

Earlier activists from Arappor Iyakkam had exposed the Rs 3,000 crore scam over Tangedco’s coal imports from Indonesia between 2012 to 2016, due to overbilling of the coal, paying for a high-quality coal and purchasing a low-quality variant. 

A massive protest was held in the city on Sunday, with hundreds of people wearing coal-black masks, and demanding action from the government. People, who hailed from all walks of life, questioned why they should pay a hiked-up price for electricity, when the officials are siphoning off money through such technical scams. 

Speaking at the protest, Jayaram Venkatesan, convenor, Arappor Iyakkam, said, “Despite strong evidence, the DRI and CBI hasn’t taken any action. Neither has the state government ordered a departmental inquiry into the matter. We want the government to form a special investigation team (SIT) to launch an inquiry and bring those responsible for this corruption to justice. The three main players behind this massive scam are Adani Global Pte Limited, Natham Viswanathan, who was the Electricity minister during that period and Gnanadesikan, the former chairman and managing director of Tangedco. There are many questions for which we seek answers – why was the tender closed before the deadline date? Why were the invoices routed through different countries to over-invoice, while the coal came directly from Indonesia? Why do the people have to pay more for electricity – why not nail those who have committed this massive technical scam?” 

Across the venue, posters with slogans like ‘Arrest Natham Viswanatham’ and ‘Suspend Gnanadesikan’ were in abundance, as those gathered demanded accountability. 

S Nagalsamy, Rtd. Indian Audit and Accounts Service Officer and former Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) member, said Tangedco’s losses augmented over the last decade. “Until 2001, Tangedco showed profit. In 2015, it has a debt of over 1 lakh crore rupees. Who is responsible for this?” he questioned. 

The protesters also demanded the implementation of Lokayukta Act in Tamil Nadu, the only state in the country to have failed to set up the anti-corruption ombudsman organisation. “Tamil Nadu is the only state which has not set up Lokayukta to fight corruption. We want the state government to implement this at the earliest,” said Jayaram, adding that the police denied permission to the protest citing reasons such as traffic problems and government’s intention to implement Lokayukta Act. However, after filing a Writ Petition in the Madras High Court, permission was granted.