Shimla: Power and Agriculture Minister Sujan Singh Pathania refuted allegations made by BJP in its charge-sheet and termed it ambiguous, misleading and to divert attention of the people from their misdeeds.
Pathania claimed that the BJP was making allegations on those electricity augmentation works which were allocated during the regime of their Government. He said that the work of replacing the electricity meters, boxes and service wires in Mandi town was allocated to M/S Shyam Indus Power Solution Pvt. Ltd. in July 2012 under Amended Accelerated Power Improvement Programme Part-II adding that Rs. 19.24 crore would be spent to complete this work.
The Minister clarified that under the scheme 8000 electricity meters had been replaced out of 12000 and kept in the store whereas service wires has not been replaced yet, adding that allegation that service wire was not deposited in the store after replacement was not based on the facts.
Power Minister said that the work of replacing electricity meters and service wires in the Shimla city was allocated to M/S Shyam Indus Power Solution Pvt. Ltd. in May 2012 under Amended Accelerated Power Improvement Programme Part-II by the then BJP Government. He said that Rs. 33.91 crore would be spent on the work and 45000 electricity meters and boxes would be replaced under the programme, adding that the work of replacing 32000 electricity meters has been completed and work of changing service wire was also under process.
Sujan Singh said that Amended Accelerated Power Improvement Programme Part-II was scheme of Government of India under which 14 schemes worth Rs. 339 crore have been sanctioned for 14 towns of the State who have more than 10000 electricity consumers. He said that Shimla, Solan, Baddi, Nahan, Paonta Sahib, Kullu, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Mandi, Sundernagar, Dharamshala, Yol, Chamba and Una towns would be covered under the scheme and all the works for all these towns have been allocated during the year 2012 when BJP was in power. He said that BJP has alleged that these works have been allocated in January 2013, which was not true.
Minister said that significant progress has been achieved under this scheme during present tenure of Congress Government and the BJP was just trying to find fishes in shallow waters by making hue and cry.
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, cabinet ministers Vidya Stokes, GS Bali, Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Sudhir Sharma,, Prakash Chaudhary and Congress state president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, whose names too figured in the ‘chargesheet’, also dubbed it a ‘bundle of lies’. GS Bali even threatened BJP with legal course if opposition didn’t apologize within 15 days.
