In a development that might spell more trouble for former Power Minister Sanjeev Arora, the purchase of bulk mobile phones by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) recently has come under the Enforcement Directorate (ED) scanner.
Arora, who was arrested by the ED on May 9, was sent in judicial remand today. The Central agency is already investigating an alleged Rs 100 crore fake GST refund and money laundering involving mobile phone exports by a company associated with Arora.
The new revelations regarding the purchase of 15,600 mobile phones by PSPCL in two tranches are now reportedly being investigated by ED sleuths. The handsets were purchased for linemen, but several PSPCL employees’ unions said they had never raised a demand for any mobile phones.
Harpreet Singh, general secretary, Technical Services Union, said they were facing the shortage of manpower and did not have security gear. “We wanted those… but the management went all out to purchase the mobile phones in bulk, which no one had asked for,” he said.
Despite repeated attempts, PSPCL CMD Basant Garg didn’t respond to phone calls and messages. Garg is to appear before the ED on Wednesday in a case related to refund of bank guarantee to the company associated with Arora. Initially, Garg was to appear before the Central agency in Delhi today, but was later asked to appear on Wednesday.
Ajaypal Singh Atwal, general secretary, PSEB Engineers Association, told The Tribune that the employees had refused to accept the mobile phones which were being distributed. The first order for the purchase of 12,000 handsets was made on April 17 from a Panchkula-based company after bids were invited on the eProcurement system of the state government.
It is learnt that as many as four bidders had applied, but the Panchkula-based dealer was selected through reverse auction. At a per unit rate of Rs 21,800, the first tranche was awarded for Rs 26.16 crore.
Interestingly, the order for the second tranche of 3,600 handsets was given to the same dealer on May 14, days after Arora’s arrest, for Rs 7.84 crore. Though the purchase orders, copies of which are in possession of The Tribune, do not mention the make of the phones, official sources have confirmed that what is being offered to linemen are Samsung A 07 handsets.
They also claim that these smartphones are presently available for Rs 17,499 on various online platforms. “The differential cost of over Rs 4,000 may be because the provider has to install mobile device management system,” said a senior officer in the Power Department.
