How Modi’s Baglihar host kicked out IAS officer under pressure of fraudulent businessman

[Part 2]

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
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SRINAGAR, Nov 4: In continuation of the timeline, the first part of which appeared in yesterday's issue, STATE TIMES concludes in the second and final part how Adil Mustafa Khan, who stands booked in a case of criminal cheating in Jammu, managed to remove senior IAS officer Sandeep Nayak as Principal Secretary of PDD through Dy Chief Minister and Minister of Power Dr Nirmal Singh on October 19. As reported in detail in a series of stories exclusively in STATE TIMES, Mr Nayak had refused to sign an illegal Power Purchase Agreement with Adil Khan's company after Finance Department advised that the PPA should not be signed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Baglihar host, Nirmal Singh wanted Mr Nayak to sign PPA with the controversial company without determining rates through bidding process and without seeking opinion from Finance Department.

August 14, 2015

CE C&SW PDD reports to Principal Secretary Nayak that PPA with TVE cannot be signed with determination of rate by SERC through a transparent bidding process. She reports: “In the interest of public for any power purchase for Medium Term or long term (10-12 years and above) there should be a proper process of transparent bidding to discover the competitive rate and fair price. The rates so discovered by bidding process are to be adopted by the SERC as per section 57 of J&K Electricity Act 2010. [Section 57. Determination of tariff by bidding process---Notwithstanding anything contained in Section 56, the Commission (SERC) shall adopt the tariff, if such tariff has been determined through transparent process of bidding in accordance with the guidelines issued by the government].

CE C&SW points out further: “The rates fixed by SERC are worked on various parameters and are quite high and do not represent the current market rates  either for medium or long term basis unless a transparent bidding mechanism is adopted in the interest of state. Finally she recommends: “In view of the above facts, it is neither advisable nor in the interest of government to enter into such power purchase agreement with “M/S Then India Energy Pvt Ltd.” Binding the State for such a long term of 10-12 years with uncertainty of rates”.

August 19, 2015

Principal Secretary PDD Nayak endorse the recommendation of CE C&SW for transparent bidding process and records on file that  a professional agency needs to be appointed for bid management. He forwards the file to Principal Secretary Finance Naveen Choudhary to seek the opinion of Finance Department.

 September 5, 2015

One Dr Rajeev Dhar of Dehradun writes to Commissioner-Secretary S&T Satish Nehru that J&K Government was going to allot power purchase to TIE which, he claims, had been allotted Rs 700 crore plant without any bidding process. He alleges that acceptance letter had been given to the company “without any tender or any documents”. He further claims that TIE had adsolutely no experience of generating or managing solar power either in India or abroad.

September 15, 2015

Finance Department returns the file to Principal Secretary PDD with this opinion: “PDD should not enter into PPAs with power producers without determining reasonability and competitiveness of such offers through open bidding in view of emerging power market in India. The Department should also explore booking of bundled power which gives certain degree of relief from costly solar power. Moreover, the Department should ascertain from other states as to how far renewable power purchase obligations have been met by them”.

October 19, 2015

Principal Secretary PDD Sandeep Nayak is unceremoniously removed and shifted to Relief and Rehabilitation Department on Dy CM Nirmal Singh’s sustained insistence.

October 28, 2015

Adil Mustafa Khan holds a press conference at a hotel in Srinagar to claim that his company had not got any undue favour from Dy CM or any other Minister or politician. He claims that he and his company has no association with BJP or any other political party. However, Adil Khan at the press conference is escorted by Dy CM’s Press Officer Afaq Gadda and a number of BJP leaders including Fayaz Ahmad and Arif Raja who have also contested elections on BJP ticket besides BJP’s Media incharge Altaf Thakur. Meanwhile, it surfaces in newspaper reports that Adil Khan had been arrested in a case of cheating in Jammu and FIR No: 179 of 2013 had been registered against him under sections of 419 and 420 RPC.

[Concluded]

END