India

Opposition Leader Demands Full Disclosure on GNA Power Deal

By PTI

In Thiruvananthapuram, Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan accused Chief Minister V D Satheesan of creating confusion over a disputed power purchase agreement with the GNA platform and called for all related documents to be made public. Vijayan said the CM was evading serious allegations instead of clarifying the deal and questioned why the government had not released the complete files and correspondence. He noted that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had carried out technical and financial assessments of a proposal to buy power from Himachal Pradesh and had submitted recommendations to the government. The department minister had also supported the Himachal proposal after official discussions, he said. Vijayan asked on what basis the CM accepted GNA Energy’s offer despite objections from the KSEB and the department minister. He queried whether the KSEB had warned the government that the GNA offer would cause substantial financial losses and whether a detailed report by the chief engineer had been prepared. “If the chief minister has nothing to hide, why are the relevant files and the letter received by the government not being released in full?” he asked. Vijayan also sought clarification on whether the State Electricity Regulatory Commission had stated that there was no need to purchase power at higher rates between November 1, 2026, and March 31, 2027. He disputed the CM’s claim that GNA could supply more power than Himachal Pradesh, citing KSEB technical reports, and asked for evidence that GNA could supply power during peak hours. He further alleged that GNA was not a power generator or licensed electricity trader but merely a digital platform and questioned its authority to sell electricity independently. Vijayan challenged the CM to produce records if any power purchase agreement had been entered into during the previous LDF government without a tender or regulatory commission approval. He questioned the government’s decision to accept a direct offer without inviting tenders, asking what constituted the purported emergency that warranted such a move. He pointed out that the market rate was around ₹5 per unit, while the proposed purchase from GNA was at ₹8.63 and ₹8.90 per unit, and asked for an explanation for the increase in the rate from ₹8.48 mentioned in the initial file. Referring to investigations by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Securities and Exchange Board of India into the company, he questioned why the government had sought to procure power from it at higher rates without an open tender. Vijayan alleged that the deal raised suspicions of an attempt to exploit an artificially created power crisis to siphon off public money and demanded that the government make public all files and Cabinet notes related to the deal to establish the facts. The remarks came a day after CM Satheesan rejected Vijayan’s earlier allegations over the electricity purchase through the GNA platform, asserting that the decision was taken after examining all relevant aspects and keeping the state’s interests in mind. Satheesan said Vijayan’s allegations, including that he had improperly intervened in the power purchase decision and that an electricity shortage was artificially created to facilitate the deal, were factually incorrect. He quoted a note written by former Kerala State Electricity Board chairman M G Rajamanickam on October 29, stating that Himachal Pradesh authorities had not given any assurance to supply electricity at a cheaper rate. “Where did the Leader of Opposition get the proposal that even KSEB says it has not received? He should be prepared to make it public,” the CM said.