Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 12 (ANI): Former Himachal Pradesh Minister and BJP MLA Bikram Singh Thakur on Tuesday levelled allegations of corruption towards the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress authorities, citing the collapse of the Pekhubela Solar Power Plant venture in Una district.
Addressing a press convention in Shimla, Thakur claimed that the Rs 220 crore Pekhubela Solar Power Plant, ‘initially estimated to price solely Rs 60 crore’, was intentionally executed with ‘substandard work to profit a favoured contractor’, resulting in large-scale injury throughout floods on August 2, 2025.
‘The present authorities, within the identify of a Green Revolution, has cheated the folks of the state on an enormous scale. I’ve been exposing the reality for the previous yr. This venture is the largest instance of corruption and poor planning,’ Thakur alleged.
He additional said that in heavy rains on August 2, the Pekhubela web site was fully submerged as a result of there was ‘no correct drainage system’.
He alleged that the drainage from the plant relied solely on an insufficient connection to an adjoining Indian Oil Corporation facility.
‘Even a small home has a drainage system, however right here, a Rs 220 crore venture had none. When the plant was flooded, water needed to be pumped out utilizing diesel turbines,’ the previous Industry Minister mentioned.
He claimed that the venture’s operational and upkeep tasks had been awarded to an organization named Frozel for eight years, however the agency deserted operations on June 14, 2025. The plant is now being run solely by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) workers.
Thakur alleged that out of the plant’s 10 inverters, 4 are non-functional, decreasing the technology capability from 32 MW to 16 MW.
’99 per cent of the contractor’s dues had been launched with out holding any model assure,’ he mentioned whereas additional alleging that there was corruption, defective engineering, and inflated prices concerned within the execution of the venture.
The BJP MLA accused the federal government of approving the venture with no correct tendering course of, awarding it on a nomination foundation and bypassing monetary scrutiny.
He mentioned the August floods destroyed a 350.50-meter-long strategy highway, submerged the management room, and broken all 32 string monitoring packing containers, rendering them ineffective.
Thakur additionally accused senior officers of rejecting a 2023 provide from Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) to produce 200 MW of energy at Rs 2.57 per unit from its Bikaner plant. He alleged that this refusal, achieved to ‘shield Pekhubela’s contractors’, prompted a lack of Rs 500-600 crore to the state exchequer.
‘The officer dealing with this choice was additionally the Managing Director of the State Electricity Board and held a number of positions. The refusal to barter is proof of collusion,’ he alleged whereas demanding an unbiased probe into the venture.
Calling the federal government ‘deeply mired in corruption’, Thakur demanded that the Pekhubela venture be investigated by an unbiased company and that officers beneath suspicion be faraway from key positions.
‘The functioning, design, and monetary facets of this plant have to be probed independently. Honest officers ought to be despatched to the sphere, and people concerned in corruption have to be eliminated,’ he mentioned.
Thakur additional alleged that ‘the federal government has eradicated round 1,500 posts within the Electricity Board and isn’t recruiting new workers’, terming it an act of negligence and hostility towards the ability sector.
He added by warning that the BJP would proceed elevating its voice towards this ‘loot’ till it’s stopped. (ANI)