MillenniumPost
Bengal

Wasteful expenditure in power corporations attracts minister’s ire

At a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked all the departments to stop wasteful expenditure, certain gross financial indiscipline spotted in the Power department has raised concerns.

Flouting state government’s norm PK Banerjee, company secretary of West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited has been given extension for the past three years.

The state government decided that extension can be given only in exceptional cases and the proposal should be placed before the Cabinet for approval. However, in this case no such approval was taken.

When contacted state Power minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay said he was looking into the matter.

“I will surely find out. Are there no efficient officer in the department?” he wondered.

Rampant misuse of cars by the employees and officials in WBSEDCl, Power Development Corporation Limited (PDCL) and West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (WBSETCL) has been reported.

It is alleged that log books of the cars are not being maintained properly and money worth several 
lakh are spent every month to pay overtime.

It has further been alleged that some employees have floated companies in the names of their spouses and relatives and the cars are being hired by the companies.

The inflated bills submitted by the firms are cleared without delay. Also, during meetings, costly food packets are being served flouting state government guidelines.

It has also come to light that the power corporations are not taking steps to probe into the allegations made against some efficient officials and engineers thus affecting work.

Ashis Ghosal, director project of PDCL was suspended for his alleged involvement in a coal scam. But since then, the authorities did not make any move in the matter.

Ghosal was the key person in the Purulia Pump storage project.

The employees maintained that the authorities should either take initiative to look into the charges against the persons or they should be allowed to work.
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