Shillong, Aug 6: The Khasi Students’ Union has sought the intervention of the Centre into the shifting of the offices of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) from Shillong to Guwahati.
The KSU sent a letter in this regard to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is also the chairman of the North Eastern Council (NEC), Union DoNER Minister and NEC Vice Chairman G Kishan Reddy and Union Power Minister RK Singh.
“The Union urged the Chairman NEC, Union Home Minister and Vice Chairman, NEC; DONER Minister to kindly look into the matter, so that the offices of NEEPCO shifted to Guwahati unceremoniously be brought back to Shillong,” KSU chief Lambokstarwell Marngar said in the letter.
“The management of NEEPCO since March, 2020 shifted important offices of the Corporation to Guwahati from Shillong with a logic of smooth functioning and It is surprising to many that during Covid –19, the management of NEEPCO faced difficulties and functioned from Guwahati but post Covid, still functioning from Guwahati,” he said.
According to the KSU chief ,no other central government establishment, PSUs or banks have shifted the working place from Shillong during Covid –19 which is exceptional to NEEPCO management.
The KSU many times wanted to meet the Chairman and other Directors of NEEPCO but it was informed that they along with the key officials are functioning from Guwahati.
Marngar pointed out that the then Chairman, VK Singh (Retd.) & Director (Technical) Hemanta Deka (Retd.) hardly attended the headquarters ever since their appointment as Chairman and Director (Technical) .
“The trend is still continuing, directors are occasional visitors at NEEPCO, HQ, Shillong”, he said.
Marngar said different offices of NEEPCO are shifting from Shillong but the NEEPCO management has been in denial mode and clarified that no offices are shifting from Shillong.
“B Maharana, Director (Finance) had denied shifting of any offices from Shillong to Guwahati in January, but apparently an office order no: 1038 dated 25.06.2022 testifies that O/o Executive Director (Operation and Maintenance), O/o Executive Director (Contract and Procurement), O/o Executive Director (Corporate Project Monitoring) has been shifted to Guwahati along with a section of Information & Technology (IT) and Finance,” he said.
Over Rs 5 lakh rented building in Guwahati
He pointed out that the NEEPCO management had hired a building at Guwahati on a monthly rent of Rs 5, 30, 479 from M/s Kamal Jail, Punit Jain, Nikhil Jain & Biswajit Talukdar since March, 2021 despite NEEPCO having its own establishment at Shillong.
Besides, NEEPCO has its official residence for Chairman and Directors in Shillong but the official quarter has been abandoned since 2020 by the then Chairman, VK Singh and other directors.
“This is a kind of misuse of power and there will be expenses for the Corporation which has to be borne by the common people,” he said.
Union Minister of Power and Heavy Industry, Krishan Pal Gujjar during his recent visit at Nongpoh, had stated that there is no direction from the Ministry of Power to shift office from Shillong and officials have to function from here.
Margnar, however, said contrary to the statement of Union Minster on 13.07.2022, a group of senior management employees influenced the then Chairman, VK Singh to shift offices from Shillong.
“It is evident from the office order no: 1038 dated 25.06.2022 that VK Singh approved shifting of offices on 19.05.2022 just before his retirement. It is apparent that NEEPCO management not only misled the Ministry of Power, but also the people of Meghalaya too,” he said.
