It ultimately turned out to be much ado about, if not for anything but for ‘something’.
MS Kele, the outgoing controversial MD of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd ( TSECL) ultimately signed a memorandum of Understanding with the agitating contractors and then left. The MoU promised payment of the dues to the contractors.
It was not yet clear whether he picked up the flight this afternoon but he is not expected to visit the TSECL anymore.
For many years Kele was accused of unlimited and brazen corruption and inefficient handling of the TSECL affairs as well as indulging in nepotism and giving away contracts to outsiders for personal interest ignoring the locals. He was also accused of holing up of the payments of contractors and others for some reasons known to him. As he planned to leave the state today Contractors gheraoed his car and forcibly brought him out as they rained abuses openly and directly accusing him of corruptions. He was being accused of a total failure and wholly incompetent.
The memorandum said :
“There was a delegation from contractors which met with TSECL Management on the issues related to payments to contractors under Soubhagya Scheme’. The issues related to the past payments which were pending for technical reasons and regularization of a few left over formalities.
This meeting was unplanned as TSECL Management was not informed as the previous assurance was already conveyed during the last meeting with the representative of the contractors on 19 Jan 2022.
However, since the contractors have come for the discussions, TSECL Management discussed the matter with the representatives of the contractors.
In line with deliberations the following points were discussed by both the sides:
(1) The action for payment will start immediately after getting, directives from BOD, TSECL for which meeting is scheduled during first week of February 2022.
(2) Fund disbursement will start in next fortnight after the Board Meeting and after completion of requisite formalities for requisition of documents from all Divisions.
(3) As the closure Proposal of the Scheme has already been processed and sent to the Nodal Agency, the remaining fund disbursement will be taken tip as per release of funds by the Central Nodal Agency. TSECL will take necessary steps immediately to receive the fund from the Nodal Agency.”
The MoU was signed by MD MS Kele and Director Technical Debashish sarkar and Director Finance Sarvajit Singh Dogra on behalf of the TSECL.
It was after the MoU was signed Kele left the TSECL campus in a hurry.
In the meantime, the incident in which the contractors forced Kele come out of the car and meet them, and also openly accused him directly of indulging in about Rs 200 crore corruption , nepotism and other irregularities apart from inefficient and incompetent handling of the TSECL affairs shook the administration. While the allegations were nothing new and they were being in the newspaper headlines for the last three or more years no action was ever taken against him. Kele managed to pull some string and escape, in fact even managed extension of service.
This time also as it appears he somehow managed to give a slip the way VL Dharurkar , a tainted VC of Tripura University managed to flee from state even after huge financial corruption, brazen bribery etc.
