CBI arrests Power Grid ED, Tata Projects officials over corruption in north east electricity project

• Image Credit: Internet

• Jul 7, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

Digital Desk: Six people, including the executive director of Power Grid
Corporation of India, B S Jha, were detained by the Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday on suspicion of corruption in the North
Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP).

 According to a source, Jha, who is currently stationed in
Itanagar, the capital of Arunachal Pradesh, was purportedly doing favours for
Tata Projects in exchange for illegal payments.

 On Wednesday, Jha was taken into custody in Gurugram,
Haryana, and his home's property also yielded a total of Rs 43 lakh.

 According to the source, the CBI had Jha under observation
for a while after receiving information that he was reportedly accepting bribes
from executives of Tata Projects and other businesses in exchange for awarding
favours for various projects.

 According to reports, Tata Projects was given the contracts
under NERPSIP, a Rs 6,700 crore national programme that was approved by the
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in December 2020 to upgrade the northeastern
region's power infrastructure.

 Under the plan, the corporation was operating in Arunachal
Pradesh and Sikkim.

 The CBI also detained five other Tata Projects employees in
addition to Jha, including executive vice president Deshraj Pathak and
assistant vice president R N Singh.

 Contacting Power Grid Corporation, Itanagar officials was
unsuccessful.