Patiala, October 20
The vigilance wing of the Punjab State Electricity Board has indicated serious irregularities in the purchase of nine 100 mw transformers worth Rs 25 crore following investigation into the manner of purchase of the transformers and perusal of their field reports. A preliminary report has indicated that due procedure was not followed in the purchase of the transformers and that the schedules set by the board itself had been amended.
According to the report, the board initially moved a proposal to buy six transformers in March, 2001, but amended this decision to eight. Even this decision was changed to nine later. After inviting tenders for the transformers, the board split the order by going in for post-tender negotiations with a Baroda-based firm which had lost out on the order earlier. The report has noted that even the Central Vigilance Commission had asked the public sector undertakings not to go in for post-tender negotiations.
The report says that the decision was explained by saying that splitting the order would ensure timely and confirmed supply from alternative sources. The report says these clauses were forgotten later as the delivery target of July, 2002, was not adhered to. In fact, the then Chief Engineer of the Patiala sub- station wrote to two companies to go slow on the delivery as the board was planning to shelve some of the plant works. The last transformer was delivered in December, 2003, and two of the transformers worth around Rs 6 crore have not been utilised till today even though payments have been made to the suppliers.
Meanwhile, the vigilance wing of the board claims that field reports received from various sub-stations also reveal that the new transformers are not of the required quality. A report from the Patiala sub-station says that the
polarisation index, which determines the performance of the transformer, was less than the specified limit at the time of commissioning. Similarly, a report from Bathinda says the PI value of the transformer was on the lower side indicating that it is not in a “healthy” position. The 220 KV sub- station at Kartarpur has stated that the transformer was getting excessively heated.
Besides, the ADGP’s office has in its report noted that both the companies who had supplied the transformers did not have the requisite specified experience of seven years from the date of commissioning of the first transformer to the date of the purchase order. It is also stated that the Baroda firm expressed its inability to carry out no load loss management test and instead suggested a different test for this purpose which was a major deviation from the prescribed norms.
